There is no other sports fan experience that can match that of a Lakers fan.  We need no gimmicks, our legacy speaks for itself.  It’s not just our 14 franchise championships that makes us who we are, but the decades of dynasties, intense rivalries, and NBA legends that make bleeding purple and gold almost intrinsic for So Cal families. I was a Laker fan before I could even say the word “Lakers”.

Being a fan was one of many defining characteristics of my childhood. Way back to the days of elementary school when I played basketball on the playground with the boys in heart pattern tights, black patent leather mary janes, and a pink frilly skirt, busting three-pointers on 6th graders. When we used to love the game so much that on days when there were no basketballs available in the playground equipment bucket, we played pick-up games with a rock! When I used to pretend I was Nick Van Exel and we used to commentate our own games, using true Chick and Stu lingo.

Fellow fans, here we are again at the start of the NBA Finals.  Even through the tough playoff series we’ve gone through, we had no doubt that we’d make it this far.  This is the BEST time to be a Laker fan..and hey, if you’re a n00b, we don’t hate!  Just join in on the FUN!  How do you enjoy the Finals with your friends and family?  I’m going to share my absolute favorite memory as a member of the Lakers fan community….

The year was 2001 and the Lakers were as dominant as ever. It was an incredible post-season, breeeeeezing through the playoffs and sweeping the first 3 rounds.  Once we swept the first round, the Lakers buzz was crrrrazy at school and blurs of purple and gold flags waved all over town.  My mom drives a humongous Dodge Ram truck with a camper top and we wrote GO LAKERS in the most humongous letters possible on the back windows and had Laker flags in our windows.

Everyone came to school decked out in their best Laker apparel on game days and after every win. There was this really strange trend that started; people would read the sports section of the newspaper in the morning and tape articles about the Lakers and pictures of players to our (yes, unfortunately, I did it too…) clothing. Girls wrote Go Lakers or LA or the # of their favorite players on their cheeks and their arms. Some let Lakers penants or car flags hang out of their backpacks. Others carried around purple and gold pom poms. My favorite Laker pride item (no I didn’t do this, but lots of ppl did) was the BROOM! (you know, cuz they kept sweeping series…yeah..LOL)

There was just this one specific day….I don’t remember how early or late it was in the playoffs but of course, the school was full of purple and gold pride. Students were just hanging around, waiting for school to start in this mini-quad just south of the Library. Someone started running around the quad, cheering and waving around this massive Laker flag. And out of nowhere, people started running from all directions into the center of that mini-quad. People grabbed their friends from all over campus and all of a sudden, at 7:45am, this massive crowd of a good 500 students were cheering, jumping up and down for this all out, impromptu Laker fan rally!  For a good 7-10 minutes, students – boys and girls, were just screaming with wreckless abandon, putting all that love and support for the Lakers out there into the crowd.  I’ve never felt more Lakers pride than within those 7-10 minutes, even at a game.  It was the most unexpected thing to happen on a high school campus like mine, but I’ll never forget it!

Have any awesome playoffs memories?  SHARE THEM in the comments section!  I wish you, your friends, and family a happy Finals season!  GO LAKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!