In 2011, the NBA introduced an amnesty clause that would allow every team the opportunity to release one player and completely clear them from their salary cap. The player would still receive their salary, but the team would get some cap flexibility. With the Lakers struggling that season, the always outspoken Cuban suggested that the Lakers should consider using the provision on Bryant.

Insert Michael Jordan “And I took that personally” meme here.

No one is quite sure why Cuban thought it was a good idea to make such a suggestion right before Kobe was set to enter the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Feb. 24, 2023. But the Lakers legend made sure he regretted it.

Bryant finished with 38 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists as the Lakers left Dallas with a 103-99 victory. In the fourth quarter, Kobe went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field for 14 points, with seven of those coming in the last three minutes, along with an assist on a Nash 3-pointer, to help ice the game.

But Kobe left his greatest shot for after the game as he went on his Twitter page and sent a very direct message at Cuban:

Amnesty THAT

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013

Much like his idol Jordan, Kobe was someone who could find any reason for motivation to absolutely dominate a player or a team and he didn’t have to look hard in this instance. While Cuban’s may have made some sense on paper, and when thinking about the average player, those types of rules simply don’t apply when it comes to the likes of Kobe Bryant.

This contest was the Lakers’ third consecutive win and Bryant would continue to prove that even in his 17th NBA season, he was still the standard bearer of the league who could dominate any team on any given night. Kobe would continue like this throughout the remainder of the season, putting out unbelievable performance after unbelievable performance until his body literally couldn’t take it anymore, all for the purpose of getting the Lakers to the postseason.

Kobe made a career out of making people eat their words and Mark Cuban learned that the hard way on this day.

This wasn’t Lakers star Kobe Bryant’s best game against Mavericks

This wasn’t even Bryant’s best game against Cuban and the Mavericks as earlier in his career, the legendary Lakers guard outscored Dallas’ whole team with 62 points in three quarters.

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Now more than a year removed, Luka has fully embraced being part of the Lakers organization and the franchise has done everything in its power to make him feel welcome and support him in any way possible. The Lakers are an organization unlike any other in the NBA and Doncic has already experienced that.

Luka just made his first NBA All-Star Game appearance as a member of the Lakers after five as a member of the Mavericks. When asked which franchise was better, he didn’t hesitate in naming the Lakers as the superior organization, via SportKlub:

“I think the organization is better here. The Lakers are a truly legendary club and the organization is legendary too,” the Slovenian superstar blurted out.

This answer really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone as there are always going to be at least a little hard feelings from Doncic towards the Mavericks, especially after all of the rumors and reports that came out in the aftermath of the trade that criticized and spoke down on the superstar.

But there is also just something different about the Lakers franchise. It is truly one of the glamour organizations not just in American sports, but around the world and is one of the most popular and recognizable brands. Winning with the Lakers is unlike anything else and the support and love players get from the fans is unlike anything else.

Playing for the Lakers also comes with a lot of expectations and pressure, but Doncic embraces and thrives on that. He is poised to lead this franchise for many years to come and he and the Lakers are both set in their desire to win many championships in the present and future.

Lakers’ Luka Doncic says hamstring ‘felt good’ in All-Star Game appearance

Luka Doncic had missed the last four games for the Lakers as he dealt with a hamstring issue, but the Lakers star did make a brief appearance in the NBA All-Star Game. The leading fan vote getter played five minutes and said his hamstring felt good in his time on the court.

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This season, Hachimura is shooting a career-high from 3-point range and he knocked down 3-of-4 from deep on his way to 21 points in the Lakers’ victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers and Mavericks will always be tied together due to the Luka Doncic trade, but they are also closely linked due to former Lakers assistant Jason Kidd taking the head coaching job there with multiple coaches following him to Dallas.

One of those coaches was Phil Handy, whom many players hold in very high regard and Hachimura is among them. After his latest strong performance, Hachimura spoke about Handy and credited him for playing a big role in his development as a 3-point shooter.

“I think, as you guys know, since I got here that was my main thing that I worked on. Especially Phil Handy, shoutout to Phil Handy, the Mavs coach. He was the guy, he kinda put me on those games. He told me this is gonna be really important for me, for my basketball career and it’s gonna help this team win a lot of basketball games. That’s not really my thing I guess, but as my role I think I have to shoot more threes with this team,” Hachimura said.

Hachimura has grown into that role perfectly over the years for the Lakers and it feels almost automatic any time he lets it go from deep, especially from the corners. In this era of NBA basketball, the 3-point shot is absolutely critical and Hachimura has been able to adjust his game and Handy deserves a lot of credit for helping him see that and putting in the work alongside him.

Assistant coaches rarely get the attention and praise they deserve, but they are often the ones doing so much individual work and helping players grow and develop. But Hachimura will never forget the impact Handy has had on his career and even though he is on the opposing side now, that respect remains.

JJ Redick assesses first half of Lakers season

The Lakers’ victory over the Mavericks takes them into the All-Star break on a winning note. And head coach JJ Redick gave his assessment on how the first half of the season has gone for his team.

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Kidd himself had a very long NBA career, but he understands that nobody in the history of this league has been able to remain as good as James has this deep into their career. And that was on full display during the Lakers’ victory as LeBron became the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double.

Following the contest, Kidd had nothing but praise for LeBron, calling it amazing for him to still be able to post a triple-double and continuing to play at this high of a level.

“It’s pretty impressive,” Kidd said. “I think, I might be wrong, he is leading the league in fast-break points. I think. Understanding he is playing the game at a high level at the age of 41, to put up a triple-double is really amazing. It just shows, for someone that has taken care of his body and mind up until this point, it’s unbelievable he’s playing at a high level.”

The level at which LeBron has taken care of his body and the work he puts in on a daily basis to prepare himself has been something everyone marvels at. It is impressive enough that he is still playing, especially considering that no other player has played 23 NBA seasons period. But for him to continue to be at this level, being named to his 22nd consecutive All-Star team, is just unfathomable.

Kidd has seen up close and personal the work that James puts in to do what he does on the court and there is a lot of love on both sides. And even though it came at the expense of his own team in a loss to the Lakers, Kidd can’t help but to respect what LeBron is doing and continues to do.

Lakers coach JJ Redick not taking LeBron James for granted

Jason Kidd wasn’t the only coach impressed by LeBron James’ outstanding performance as Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised the Lakers star for the work he puts in to get his body prepared, and made it clear that he doesn’t take what James does at this stage of his career for granted.

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The game was missing some star power with Luka Doncic and Cooper Flagg both out. Doncic loves taking it to his former team, but the Lakers had to get it done without him in this one and they did exactly that with a 124-104 victory. L.A. now heads into the All-Star break with a 33-21 record.

Without his co-star in the lineup, LeBron James knew that he had to play with high energy from the jump. He scored or assisted on the Lakers’ first 23 points of the game, which was a sign of things to come.

James finished the night leading all scorers with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists on 10-of-20 shooting in 35 minutes. It was LeBron’s first triple-double of the season and he made history as the oldest player in NBA history to do so. He passed Karl Malone, who had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists at the age of 40 while playing with the Lakers on Nov. 28, 2003.

While James led the way, he did have some help as the Lakers did a great job sharing the ball to the tune of 35 assists in the convincing victory.

Rui Hachimura had a great night shooting the ball with 21 points on 9-of-13 from the field and 3-of-4 from deep. Jaxson Hayes also had one of his best games of the season, filling up the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block.

Austin Reaves, who remained on a minutes restriction, came off the bench and gave his team a boost with 18 points, four rebounds and six assists on 5-of-10 shooting in 28 minutes.

After a rough end to the first half, the Lakers locked back in to begin the third quarter and outscored the Mavericks 32-19 in that frame to take control of the game, never looking back in the victory.

What’s next for the Lakers…

The Lakers will now get some much-needed time off for the All-Star break before returning to the court next Friday against the L.A. Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.

Jaxson Hayes will be participating in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest this Saturday though, while LeBron James and Luka Doncic are in the All-Star Game. Doncic has been dealing with a hamstring injury, so it remains to be seen if he will suit up in the game that will be played at Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

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