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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

LeBron James received his 4th championship ring yesterday before their first regular-season game against the Clippers. The King was elated, to say the least, to receive the ring.

He subsequently gave a special tribute to Lakers legend, late Kobe Bryant. LBJ took to Instagram and wrote, “What I felt last night when I grabbed that ring from the case. Love and miss you my brother!!!!”

LeBron has always been vocal about his love for Kobe and how he considered Mamba to be his older brother. This is one of the many special tributes he has paid to Kobe over this year.

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2020 has been a mixed year for any Lakers fan. Initially, they lost arguably the most influential Laker of all time in Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash. Not only was he one of the best players, but he was also hugely popular in the Laker community.

Later in the year, they saw their team redeem themselves by winning the 17th title of the franchise’s history a fitting tribute to Kobe’s legacy.

The organization had its own way of paying a tribute to the Lakers’ great in the championship ring itself. The ring has a Mamba behind every players’ numbers to honor Kobe.

The ring also has a removable top, revealing the retired Lakers’ jersey numbers. Kobe’s jersey numbers ‘8’ and ’24’ were given special emphasis in the ring. It was certainly a great way to pay a fitting tribute to the legend.

Can LeBron James and Co. run it back this year?

The Lakers started their regular season in a bittersweet manner. First, they had an amazing ring ceremony for the champions which was presented by the families of the players.

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This was followed by a 7-point loss to the Clippers where Paul George scored 33 points. The fans, however, should not be worried at all about this performance.

USA Today via Reuters

Their superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James only played 31 and 28 minutes each and the bench players Montrezl Harrell and Kyle Kuzma were also impressive scoring 17 and 15 points each.

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The team has added multiple new players and might take some time to adjust. Once the new signings are set in the system, there is absolutely no stopping the Lake show.

The team is much deeper than last season. There are multiple players who can take the load off of AD and LBJ. Keeping all this in mind, the Lakers are certainly set for a repeat.