Los Angeles Lakers To Honour Kobe Bryant with Special Jerseys At Orlando During NBA Playoffs

After a seven-year hiatus, the Los Angeles Lakers will finally return to the playoffs on Tuesday. However, in store for them is one of the hardest matchups in the Trail Blazers. Winning this round will give them a huge boost, and not just in terms of morale. According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, there will be one more incentive if they win the first round.

A few hours ago, Turner reported that if the Lakers beat the Blazers, they will launch the Black Mamba jersey, which will be a tribute to late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. “The jersey was co-designed by Bryant and it features a snakeskin print on the outside with black interior and 16 stars on the side panels,” Turner wrote.

The black and gold jerseys were initially launched in December 2017. The Lakers had launched it as their city jerseys for the 2017-18 season. “Black added a level of mystery,” Bryant said about the jersey back in 2017. “You watch athletes run up and down the floor, but you don’t know what is inside of them. And that’s what the black mamba stands for — what is inside of you. It doesn’t stand just for me. It stands for an attitude that should be inside of you when you put the Laker jersey on. You should play with a killer approach.”

Can the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Blazers?

After tweeting about it in January, Lakers veteran Jared Dudley’s wish is one step away from reality. The Lakers could have debuted the jerseys for the first round, but it would have clashed with Portland’s black jerseys.

Despite having a bad run in the seeding games, they will enter the matchup as the favorites. On the other hand, the Blazers are in the form of their lives. They have lost just twice in the bubble, and are currently on a four-game winning streak.

But Lakers superstar LeBron James has never lost in the first round. Whether it’s a four-game or seven-game series, LeBron has come out on top, 13 out of 13 times so far. He will be keen to keep that record intact.

The Lakers have LeBron and Anthony Davis as their main weapons, but the Blazers have better depth than them. The Lakers will also have to be wary of Damian Lillard, as they don’t have anyone in their ranks who can stop him. It will certainly be a box-office affair and fans couldn’t have been treated to a better first-round matchup.