The 19th annual Los Angeles Sports Awards took place recently and the Los Angeles Lakers were well represented.
LeBron James broke the NBA’s all-time record. voted as the best overall sporting moment, tied with El Segundo winning the Little League World Series. This wasn’t the only Lakers representation on this list, however.
The Lakers winning the NBA’s first in-season tournament ranked seventh on the list of top 10 sports moments of 2023 at the Los Angeles Sports Awards.
The NBA introduced the In-Season Tournament as a way to generate more interest early in the season, and overall it was a success. The league changed the fields during these specific contests and many players said the atmosphere was different and similar to real playoff games.
The Lakers dominated during the tournament itself, with LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the way. They went undefeated in group play to win Group A before eliminating the Phoenix Suns in a very close quarterfinal match.
They would then travel to Las Vegas and absolutely destroy the New Orleans Pelicans in the semifinals to set up a Finals matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Davis and LeBron would dominate again to lead the Lakers to a 120-107 victory and the first-ever in-season NBA tournament championship. LeBron was also named the first-ever in-season tournament MVP to add to his laundry list of accolades.
The Lakers’ feat is just behind Shohei Ohtani who won his second AL MVP Award and just ahead of the Los Angeles Kings who retired Dustin Brown’s jersey. Other honorees of the evening included USC women’s basketball guard Juju Watkins, who received Sportswoman of the Year honors along with Ohtani. LAFC’s Steve Cherundolo received the Coach of the Year award while the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman was named Manager of the Year and renowned sports psychologist, author and sports advocate Dr. Steven Ungerleider received the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously.
Lakers’ LeBron James congratulates Rams’ Aaron Donald on retirement announcement
One of the other biggest stars in the Los Angeles sports world recently announced the end of his career as Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald announced his retirement from the NFL.
Donald is one of the greatest players the NFL has ever seen, and many even consider him the best defensive player in league history. His retirement was welcomed and celebrated by many people, including Lakers star LeBron James who congratulated Donald and called it a pleasure to have seen him dominate.
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