The Los Angeles Lakers appear to have been about as professional as a Marx Brothers movie this season.
Steve Bulpett of Heavy.com revealed in a story this week that Lakers players may have been texting during games. Bulpett quoted an unnamed employee working for another NBA team. The employee said that he texted a Lakers player during halftime of a game about getting together afterwards. Much to the employee’s shock, he got a text back from the Lakers player while it was still halftime. Furthemore, the employee says that he was told Lakers coach Frank Vogel was standing in front of the player while the player was texting.
“I couldn’t believe it. And later when we met up, he said he wasn’t the only motherf–ker texting other people,” the employee was quoted as saying.
Bulpett’s story has other tidbits about what contributed to the downfall of both Vogel and the Lakers this season. You can read it in full here.
Players have gotten in trouble before for using cell phones on the bench during games, which is a violation of the NBA Operations Manual. But cell phone use at halftime is not expressly prohibited. An interesting 2016 article from the New York Times touched on the use of cell phones by NBA players during halftime and the professionalism concerns that come along with it.
Regardless of if cell phone use at halftime is allowed, that is definitely not the best look for a Lakers team that had one of the most veteran rosters in the league, including five future Hall of Famers. It is especially so as well considering that they went 33-49 and faced other such allegations of unprofessional behavior this season.
Photo: Jan 21, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) against the Orlando Magic during the first quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
