The Los Angeles Lakers called upon their star power to recruit LaMarcus Aldridge as soon as free agency began, and we’re not talking about Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers started a social media movement called #LAtoLA in an attempt to flatter the top free agent prize on the market. Part of the campaign involved the photo you see above of Adam Levine wearing a custom Aldridge Lakers jersey. Although the Lakers cleared the tweets with the NBA ahead of time, they reportedly deleted them after other teams complained.
Per league source, Lakers' #LAtoLA tweets weren't deleted out of sheepishness, but rather by NBA request after other teams complained
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 2, 2015
Lakers, per same league source, cleared the #LAtoLA tweet plan with NBA legal dept beforehand. But still honored request to delete them.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 2, 2015
As Bill Oram of The Orange County Register notes, the tweets may have violated league rules. During the July free agency period, only a team’s “designated negotiator” — in this case Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak — is allowed to say if his or her team is in discussions with a player.
Some people believe the Lakers pulled the tweets because their meeting with Aldridge did not go particularly well. One report even indicated that he did not mesh well with Kobe Bryant.
It would be way more fun if that’s why the Lakers pulled the tweets.
