By Lucas Camacho
There are certain analysts that are getting pretty sick and tired of talking about the reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. As Spring Training begins, the Dodgers, after yet another historic offseason, have emerged again as the favorites to repeat, which would get them one step closer to achieving the three-peat that eluded the Kansas City Chiefs when they fell in the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Back in Los Angeles, the idea of being eclipsed by the Dodgers has been felt by the other Los Angeles-based teams. The Rams and Chargers are already looking for solutions during the NFL offseason, and the local soccer teams (from the reigning MLS Champion Galaxy to the retooled Angel FC) are looking to pick up their game as well. But the big news we’ve been hearing has come from two sports teams whose accomplishments rival the Dodgers: the Lakers and the Sparks.
Both teams have made moves recently that have shaken up the franchise. The Lakers parted ways with Anthony Davis, who was a key part of the Lakers’ 2020 Championship run, in order to acquire generational talent Luka Doncic. So far, the monster trade hasn’t shaken up the Lakers too much as they maintained their hot streak until they finally lost to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. Still, anticipation has been swirling as many see Luka as part of the Lakers’ plan going forward to eventually take over being the face of the Lakers from LeBron James.
Over to the Sparks, the organization has been slowly deteriorating over recent years. They lost star power as legends like Candace Parker, Nneka Ogqumike, and Chelsea Gray all eventually left for other teams at the start of the decade. Enter Kelsey Plum, the former No. 1 pick from the 2017 WNBA Draft. Plum rejoins former teammate and close friend Dearica Hamby. Together, the Sparks hope both Hamby and Plum can work together with rising stars Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink to turn things around for the Sparks.
Both moves came under scrutiny. Obviously, the Lakers gave away a lot when they dealt Davis away, leaving them without much in terms of rim protection. Meanwhile, the Sparks gave up the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. However, both moves make sense in the long run: the Lakers needed a younger face for their franchise, and there doesn’t seem to be as much talent going into this year’s WNBA Draft as people think (especially compared to last year’s). The risk seemed worth the reward (because, as I’ve mentioned across several articles now, the Dodgers have put all the LA sports teams on notice) as both teams look to the future.
Both Luka and Kelsey seem to realize what a big deal it is coming to this city. Los Angeles is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) sports markets in the country. There are many great athletes that have called Los Angeles their home: from Clayton Kershaw to Wayne Gretzky to the late great Kobe Bryant (and that’s just a couple of names as there are obviously a lot more). For now, Luka has to shake the rust off, as he is just barely starting to play his first games since Christmas. Factoring in his first two games with the Lakers, Luka has averaged around 27 points per game, as well as 7.5 assists while averaging around 34.8% from the 3-point line this season. And Kelsey will have to wait to get to work as the WNBA doesn’t kick off its season for another few months. Last year, Kelsey averaged about 17.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 0.7 steals per game with a career average 39% shooting from the 3-point line.
However, the championship expectations just got elevated for the Lakers and Sparks. And they’re not the only ones: the Clippers, LAFC, the Chargers, etc. Even down the 5 freeway, the (Anaheim) Angels are also gearing up (including the recent acquisition of former Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen). All these teams should definitely be feeling the pressure to deliver a championship to the City of Angels, because one thing is definitely apparent: until they do…this town belongs to Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and the rest of the Dodgers…
