there isn't a Laker star player since they've been in Los Angeles who hasn't been subjected to irrational criticism and disrespect on some level.... all of whom..the better they became as players...the more irrational and bitter the criticism became..

Jerry West and Elgin Baylor couldn't win the big one..

Jerry West was selfish and rude....

Wilt Chamberlain was a prima dona ..... overrated....and selfish

Kareem.... I mean where do you start...

Magic.....same thing... you had one of the greatest players of all time still having so-called sports journalists bringing up his talk show as a way to taint his legacy...


"Laker Hate" actually becoming a thing with a name may have come about during the Shaq and Kobe era but it existed long before they got to LA...

it most certainly didn't come out of nowhere ..

its a reality of being a star in LA... Los Angeles...and also California in general is used as a pejorative in so many areas...politics..sports..entertainment are just a few....

I saw some right wing commentator speak on how the death of Kobe Bryant brings so many diverse people together during a time where the country is divided and folks shouldn't let the "media" divide us...yada yada....What that dude was seeing, is every day Los Angeles...we live like that on the daily..the Lakers have been the best example of that attitude of unity for a few decades...but trust and believe that's our baseline here...

and just like with anything else.... folks that ain't got it...can't fathom it...it makes them mad...and thus you got Laker Hate