Lakers gave tribute video to 1 unlikely player

Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers President Jeanie Buss before the game against the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center. Bulls won 118-110. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

NBA teams are really handing out tribute videos to anybody these days.

The Los Angeles Lakers played the Utah Jazz at home on Friday. The game marked Jazz swingman Talen Horton-Tucker’s first time back in L.A. since the Lakers dealt him over the summer as part of the Patrick Beverley trade.

Curiously enough, Horton-Tucker received a tribute video from the Lakers. Take a look.

Here was the Lakers tribute video to Talen Horton-Tucker. THT did not acknowledge it at all pic.twitter.com/6xa2547W11

— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) November 5, 2022

Tribute videos are usually reserved for former All-Stars and/or players who made a significant contribution to the franchise over several years. Horton-Tucker, who is still only 21, averaged less than ten points per game in his Lakers career (on a subpar 43.7 percent from the field) and may be best remembered as the player that the Lakers (as it turns out, incorrectly) decided to keep over Alex Caruso two summers ago.

Though Horton-Tucker was a member of the Lakers’ 2020 NBA title team, that was during his rookie season, and he only made eight total appearances that year (scoring 48 total points). Needless to say, Horton-Tucker does not fit the traditional mold of a tribute video recipient.

On the other hand, the decorum for tribute videos in the NBA has been somewhat relaxed in recent years. At least Horton-Tucker’s tribute video was not as bad as the one that we saw elsewhere in the league last season.