In case you somehow missed the news, the Los Angeles Lakers are champions. They’re the final team standing at the end of the longest season in NBA history, 377 days after pre-season games kicked off in September 2019. And of the franchise’s now 17 titles — which evens them with the Boston Celtics for most in the league — this one may have been the most difficult.
In the last 10 months, the team somehow navigated the heartbreaking loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, a pandemic that stopped the season in its tracks, Commissioner Adam Silver’s Orlando Bubble, and an inability to join the front lines in seismic national protests against systemic racism. Nevertheless, led by Finals MVP LeBron James, the Lakers managed to beat the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 to take the title back to Tinseltown.
The likes of Magic Johnson, Jack Nicholson and J.R. Smith are all waking up very happy today. And so is pop star Halsey, who, in case you weren’t aware, is a huge Lakers fan. Like many celebrities, Halsey has been frequently spotted courtside at Lakers games for years. But during these playoffs (just last month, to be precise) she took her fanhood to NBA Twitter, with a basketball-only account called @halseyandone.
While the account’s conceit is pretty simple — her bio reads “@halsey but like, basketball” — it’s been clear for a little while now that Halsey is very good at this. She’s racked up almost 120,000 followers thanks to a mix of on-point memes, First Take-worthy one-liners (“championship rondo”) and impassioned defenses of her beloved team, especially LeBron James. Halsey is out here in the trenches of Twitter, fighting the good fight for the modern GOAT every single day.
Earlier this year, we published an essay examining the puzzling refusal of so many fans to embrace LeBron’s greatness. Well, he’s just earned his fourth ring, and fourth Finals MVP, across a record three different organizations. You know your grandkids are going to be asking about him; the time to appreciate LeBron is now. And while his play makes him seem ageless, he is turning 36 in a couple months, and could very well be retiring in the next few years. Halsey, at the very least, seems acutely aware of this fact, and is doing her best (adjacent to celebrating her team’s win) to remind people how lucky we are to have lived through King James’s reign.
We’d imagine @halseyandone is going into hibernation for a bit — the last tweet reads “THAT’S. MY. KING.” — but based on the good juju this brought to the Lakers (Jared Dudley was literally tweeting at Halsey last Friday to get pumped) she’ll probably be back in full force when the 2021 season begins. As will LeBron haters, because that’s kind of their thing. Until then, Halsey has the last laugh.
More Like This
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
