17-time NBA champions; Los Angeles Lakers have officially signed 13-year NBA veteran DeAndre Jordan. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka announced his arrival to the roster. The 33-year-old center has never won a championship in his career and is a one-time NBA All-Star.
However, he has helped the US Men’s Basketball Team clinch the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He signed a four-year deal with his former team, Brooklyn Nets, but he was traded to the Pistons and then waived by them.
ALSO READ- Why DeAndre Jordan Left the Brooklyn Nets to Join the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021 Free Agency
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DeAndre Jordan spent two seasons with the Nets and played alongside some of the best players in the NBA right now. In the process, he had a good relationship with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. However, many thought that DeAndre Jordan’s relationship with the Nets duo has soured after his departure. However, Jordan has said that they still maintain a good relationship.
DeAndre Jordan still has a good relationship with the Brooklyn Nets duo despite his exit
Jordan said that his departure from a star-studded Nets roster will not affect his relationship with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, during his introductory video conference. However, he started by saying jokingly, “We’re definitely not friends anymore, so …”.
Jordan had a laugh after saying this and later said that they are all his brothers and the relationship goes ‘beyond basketball’.
“We’re friends before basketball, after basketball and I think ultimately we all just want to be happy,” Jordan said.
DeAndre Jordan on Kevin Durant & Kyrie Irving: “We’re brothers beyond basketball. So us being teammates – or not – isn’t going to affect our relationship.” Jordan said both Irving & Durant understood his desire to play/compete. Jordan had a mostly limited role w/BKN last season.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) September 9, 2021
“And being able to compete is something that’s very important to me and they understand that. And we’re brothers beyond basketball, so us being teammates or not isn’t going to reflect on or affect our relationship.”
DeAndre Jordan had a limited role in Brooklyn since signing a four-year deal with them in 2019. But despite that, he had a good relationship with the players and the staff. In the two seasons he played, he started just 49 games out of 113 regular-season games he played.
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Brooklyn Nets qualified for the playoffs in both seasons, but they did not involve Jordan in their playoff runs. The Nets lost in the first round in 2019-20 and in the conference semis in the 2020-21 season.
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However, the new Lakers addition has a distinct record to his name, that could come in handy in the coming season. He is the only NBA player to shoot over 70% from the field in multiple seasons. It’ll be interesting to see what role will the 33-year-old veteran get.