Yes, We Can
It is 9 o’clock on November 4th on a windy Chicago night.
As music cues in, out walks Barack Obama, father from Kenya, mother from Kansas, the new President of the United States of America.
It is a testament to how America has reached dream after dream in its never-ending effort to form a more perfect union.
That’s when it hit me that these are the ideals that the Los Angeles Lakers have supported, and for that, the most fitting team to root for at such a great time in American history.
Starting small forward Vladamir Radmanovic was born in Trebinje, Yugoslavia (formerly Yugoslavia). A country that has known the horrors of modern war.
Starting power forward Pau Gasol is from Barcelona, Spain. A country where basketball tradition grows strong, and a gold medal slipping just out of their reach (granted, to the very worthy U.S. team) must still sting mightily.
Starting point guard Derek Fisher was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he played all his high school ball. He continued this tradition by playing for The University of Arkansas, Little Rock, where he donated $700,000 to build a gym three years ago.
Starting center Andrew Bynum was born in Plainsboro, New Jersey. He played his last high school ball in the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Then of course, there is the amalgamation of the domestic and the foreign: Kobe Bryant. He was born and lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania until age 6, when his father moved his family to play basketball in Italy. He came back at the United States at age 12. He’s seen both the American and European worlds. He is treated as an outsider by some in both countries. He is also loved in both countries and around the world.
From the bench, America’s heart and soul: Queens, New York-born Lamar Odom displays his versatility and ability to survive.
Sasha Vujacic, from Slovenia (a country that gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991) shares a sometimes painful history with Radmanovic.
Jordan Farmar, born and raised in Los Angeles, the pride of UCLA, absorbs the global history lesson like a sponge. And he shows his California flair, fearlessly driving to the basket countless times.
In the Staples Center and the countless homes across the country, we stand and cheer for this team. This team of diverse cultures and histories. All passing the ball, all unselfish, all moving as one. A new kind of President. A new kind of team. Yes, we can.
