Anyone who knows me knows that I love watching TV shows and movies. I can binge watch shows with the best of them and have seen more movies than I can count.
I truly don’t think that there has been a day in the last five years where I have not said a movie line mid-conversation or asked the question, “Have you ever seen…?”
Thanks to a network of Peace Corps Volunteers and their external hard drives, I was able to watch hundreds of episodes and dozens of movies while I lived in South Africa for a little over two years.
The mix of my affinity for TV shows and movies along with my love for the Los Angeles Lakers is what inspired this post.
So without further ado, here is my top 5 — in no particular order — TV show/Movie character Lakers comparisons:
1) Jordan Clarkson as Joey Tribbiani
Jordan Clarkson was a second round draft pick who was never supposed to be that good. Joey Tribbiani is an unsuccessful actor for most of the time in the show Friends.
Jordan Clarkson earned a spot on the Rookie First Team All-NBA in his first seasons. Joey Tribbiani had a successful stint as Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of Our Lives.
Jordan Clarkson has struggled to take the next big step of improvement most third year players have. Joey Tribbiani was killed off of Days of Our Lives after a little over one season.
And that’s not all. One major similarity that JC and JT have is with the ladies.
Throughout Friends’ entire run, Joey always outdid the other male characters when it came to the quality and quantity of women that he dated.
It is not much different for JC. The young guard dated Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin so far in his short time in Los Angeles. I may be using the term “dated” lightly, but this is a family blog.
2) D’Angelo Russell as Vincent Chase
D’Angelo Russell was drafted second overall by the Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft. He was the highest pick by the Lakers since 1982, when they drafted James Worthy with the first overall pick.
He was chosen to lead the Lakers out of the rough patch they were going through.
Vincent Chase grew up in Queens, New York and led his friends to LA. This was a rags to riches story for the young man and his Entourage.
Both men have a lot riding on them. There may be bumpy rides ahead, but I see Russell becoming an LA star like Vincent Chase very soon.
3) Timofey Mozgov as Hodor
Timofey Mozgov looks like a giant you would see in Game of Thrones. And if not a full on giant, a half-giant like Hodor.
Hodor is never asked to do much outside of physical labor. Although Mozgov used to have a solid offensive game, these days he is only relied on to take up space in the middle on defense and play physical ball.
Mozgov was asked by the team to hold the middle like Hodor was asked to hold the door. Unfortunately for both gentlemen, they could not do it for long.
4) Nick Young as Tony Manero
Tony Manero is a hell of a dancer and has a unique style that is bound to turn heads.
Nick Young has shown off his dance moves on more than one occasion and seems to enjoy disco era fashion.
And just as Tony used disco as an escape from a mundane life, Young has improved greatly since his drama-filled breakup with Iggy Azalea.
And if any of you watched the Lakers last season under Byron Scott and saw how rocky his relationship was with Young, it’s hard not to compare it to Tony’s relationship with his dad.
Just think of Scott’s hatred of Young’s three point shooting as Mr. Manero’s hatred of Tony’s hair.
5) Metta World Peace as Charlie Kelly
In Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Charlie is usually characterized as the wild card of the group.
And if MWP is anything, he is definitely the wild card for the Lakers.
Here’s a look at some of the evidence of his wild-cardiness:
The Purple and Gold Standard 