By CARLO ANOLIN
Before the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated inside their locker room and soaked themselves after popping champagnes, Anthony Davis took a moment of silence after winning his first NBA title.
As confetti sprinkled down the court and his teammates jumping out of glee after defeating the Miami Heat, 106-93, in Game 6 (4-2), the Lakers big man unabashedly shed tears of joy, sitting down at the bench area with his face covered with a towel.
It was so emotional for Davis that Lakers superstar and Finals MVP LeBron James had to drag out his frontcourt partner back to the court to celebrate their historic win.
“I was just emotional… I just started feeling it. The feeling turned to reality and I was 25 seconds from becoming a champion,” the 28-year-old Davis told reporters after the game.
After eight seasons and jumping ship from New Orleans, his home for seven years, Davis savored his first NBA title.
Moments after that, it was Dwight Howard’s turn to be sentimental, taking to Instagram Live his thoughts after also bagging his first NBA championship. Howard, who was also part of the 2012-2013 Lakers, had to change teams six times in 16 seasons before this momentous event.
Despite tears running down and a hoarseness in his voice, Howard’s message was very clear: Don’t give up on your dreams.
“I swear just keep fighting. I swear to God, don’t ever give up on yourself,” said the 34-year-old Howard while holding the Lakers’ trophy inside their locker room while his live video was being flooded by lots of love and comments from the Purple and Gold community.
On the losing side, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra needed 30 seconds to wipe away his tears before answering queries from sports scribes.
The Filipino-American coach continued by congratulating the Lakers organizations and thanking his own Miami franchise and the NBA for a successful season.
“We didn’t get the final result that we wanted, but even what I’ve mentioned to the guys — these are going to be lifetime memories that we had together,” said the 49-year-old Spoelstra, who led the Heat to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014.
“This locker room, regardless of what’s going to happen in the future, we’re going to remember this year, this season, this experience and that locker room brotherhood for the rest of our lives.”
It was a rollercoaster ride of emotions for these people. Win or lose, they all deserved to feel such things after bringing everything on the hardcourt.
Embed:
Lakers confetti / AD crying: https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1315474534363992065
Dwight Howard: https://twitter.com/SLAMonline/status/1315481184827305985
Coach Spo 30 seconds: https://twitter.com/WillManso/status/1315477798966960128
Coach Spo interview: https://twitter.com/FOXSportsHEAT/status/1315483840102772740
