The past dies when you put on a Los Angeles Lakers uniform.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s title with the Milwaukee Bucks is now the stuff of easy Jeopardy questions. His titles with the Lakers are part of the legend of Showtime: a book, an upcoming documentary, a slogan that immediately gets you daydreaming about highlight reels and smiles and confetti.
On Wednesday night, Anthony Davis delivered an NBA Finals debut that will be etched in Lakers lore: he scored 34 points in Los Angeles’ 116-98 Game 1 victory against the Miami Heat, the third-most in for a Laker in their Finals debut, behind Shaq, whose full name I don’t have to tell you, George Mikan and Abdul-Jabbar.