The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchise in the NBA's long and extensive history. They have had a plethora of all-time great superstars walk through their doors and don the purple and gold of the Lakers. Despite that, there is one player who generally stands above the rest in terms of the adoration received from the fans in Los Angeles. That player had a quality to him that everyone will quickly grow to love with Luka Doncic too.
The player being referred to is the late, great Kobe Bryant. The five-time NBA champion was a Laker for life, through and through. While Doncic will not have that same opportunity with the franchise, the Slovenian superstar will have a chance to replicate one of the best parts of Kobe's game for Lakers Nation.
Doncic, like Bryant, rises to big moments
Bryant had countless moments in a Lakers jersey that featured him knocking down big-time shots for Los Angeles. That Mamba Mentality was something that Lakers fans grew to love and adore throughout his career.
inpredictable statistics suggest that Bryant has an effective field goal percentage of 43.9 with regard to shots crucial to a game's outcome. Kobe's volume shooting will rarely come out looking extremely favorable by the percentages, but the willingness to take charge and often knock down those big shots was something admirable about the all-time great.
Doncic, despite only being 26 years old, has already proven himself to have the same type of desire to take and make the big shots down the stretch. There have been flashes of that for Los Angeles already.
Doncic has plenty of moments throughout his young career that show a knack for rising to the occasion in the clutch. Some of the most recent, and relevant, examples that fans are not soon to forget would include the huge step-back three against Rudy Gobert in the Western Conference Finals series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Not only was that a big moment, but a big stage for it too. While not necessarily being in the crunch time of a ball game, playoff moments like the relentless beatdown of the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the second round are particularly notable too.
If that is not enough, one can recall the epic comeback led by Doncic against the New York Knicks a few years ago. The pure jubilation on Luka's face spoke for itself.
There are truly countless moments to point to. The degree of difficulty on some of the shots is absolutely mind-boggling as well.
The more acclimated and comfortable that Doncic feels in a Lakers jersey, the more fans should be ready to see legendary moments that will fill out a career highlight reel with Los Angeles. His ability in the clutch should make him a fan favorite with the Lakers in no time.
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