NBA Fans Had Jokes After Lakers Swapped Out Unlucky Jersey for Game vs. Knicks

There will be no "Lake Show" in New York on Saturday night.
The Lakers are 1–9 this season while wearing their City Edition jersey.
The Lakers are 1–9 this season while wearing their City Edition jersey. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to rock their city edition jerseys Saturday for an 11th time this season during a prime-time matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. However, players on the team decided to go in a different route.

Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Trudell reported Saturday that the Lakers "made a team decision" to wear their purple statement jerseys against the Knicks instead of the city edition threads that read "Lake Show" across the chest.

While no specific reason for the jersey swap was given by the team, NBA fans jokingly theorized it had to do with Los Angeles's dreadful 1-9 record this season while donning the city edition jerseys.

That's right. The Lakers have a 1-9 record in the "LakeShow" threads and a 26-10 record in games they wore their other three jersey options.

Nicknamed "The California Destiny," Los Angeles's city edition jerseys this season were supposed to honor the "establishment, permanency and a partnership with the people" of Los Angeles. They placed the nickname "Lake Show" across the chest, paying tribute to the team's nickname it earned in the 1990s while Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel starred for the team.

Unfortunately, the "Lake Show" hasn't resulted in many wins. The Lakers debuted them Nov. 21 in a 119–118 loss to the Orlando Magic, and didn't earn a single win in those jerseys until a 114–106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 2. In all, Los Angeles has lost nine games in the "Lake Show" threads, most recently a 118–104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.

Forward LeBron James and the Lakers tip off against the Knicks at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night. And when they do, there won't be any "Lake Show" jerseys in sight.


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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.