The Los Angeles Lakers are making their first NBA Finals appearance since back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, when they defeated the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics.
And while it has been a decade since the Lakers franchise has been this deep in the postseason, role players Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo have seen similar droughts in their own careers. Both players fell to the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and haven’t seen a Finals appearance since, all while dealing with a number of tumultuous environments and personal drama.
Rondo suffered a particularly painful loss to the Lakers, something he’s tried to remove from his memory since.