Lakers present their 2015 draft picks to media
Listen to this articlePhoto above: Claudia Gestro interviewing the Lakers’ first pick in the NBA draft:
D’Angelo Russell, from Ohio State University.
El Segundo, CA: When the 2015 NBA Draft took place last week the Los Angeles Lakers had the second overall pick and everyone expected the Lakers to take the big man from Duke University, Jahlil Okafor. They surprised everyone by taking Ohio Sate point guard D’Angelo Russell, who, at 19, left college after his freshman year to join the NBA.
The reasoning, accoding to Lakers GM Mitch Kupchack, was that they saw superstar potential on Russell and they would need a a great point guard for the future.
The Lakers had two more picks in the draft: they selected center Larry Nance, Jr, of the University of Wyoming. He’s considered one of the best big men to enter the draft and this isn’t a surprise. His father is Larry Nance, Sr, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns. If Larry Junior can score like Larry Senior and play great defense, he will add some needed help to that front court.
The Lakers’ third pick in the draft is local son, Anthony Brown, who attended Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach before going to Stanford. Brown can play forward or guard, so he can add versatility to the Lakers lineup.
The Lakers have had some tough seasons since winning the championship in 2010 and their hope is to make it into the NBA Finals one more time before franchise player Kobe Bryant retires.
The Lakers still need a quality center, so we’ll see how that works out with free agency.
Below is my video report from the Lakers practice facility in el Segundo where the three rookies took in the Lakers atmosphere and spoke to the media.
(All photos by Claudia Gestro)
Claudia is of Peruvian and Italian descent, having been born in a small town, in the North of Peru, South America. She was raised by her grandmother from an early age, living in poverty until Claudia’s mother brought her to America. She landed in Miami, FL and started her new life, playing high school basketball and eventually becoming a United States citizen. Claudia completed her education at Florida International University with a BA in Broadcast Journalism and became a model to supplement her income. Since graduating from FIU Claudia has worked with many of the Spanish Language broadcasting companies, including Telemundo, Univision and most recently Spanish Language channels on SiriusXM satellite radio and PasTV Deportes in Venezuela.She encourages you to follow her on Twitter and Facebook. Her content appears here under a shared content agreement with her Spanish television clients.