In this ongoing series, we take a trip to yesteryear to highlight Los Angeles Lakers players some fans may have forgotten. These players didn’t get the billing others enjoyed, but they were instrumental to the Lakers’ success.
In 2007, the Lakers were clinging to the fringes of respectability. They had been run out of the gym in consecutive seasons by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. Other than Kobe Bryant, they had very little viable talent. Bryant had demanded a trade, and it looked like the beginning of the end for the franchise.
Buy Lakers TicketsTrevor Ariza was one of the young players who would help it return to greatness that fall. But when he first arrived, he was very much a nondescript player.
From obscurity to an integral part of the Purple and Gold
Although Ariza was born in Miami, he went to high school in the Los Angeles area and later played his college ball at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was solid but unspectacular in the NCAA, and after one year there, he was the No. 43 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.
His performance was very pedestrian in his first three pro seasons, and he was traded to the Lakers early in the 2007-08 season. A 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward with ample athleticism, he was like a wet ball of clay for head coach Phil Jackson and his staff to sculpt into a very useful player.
At the time, the team had stunningly gotten off to a good start thanks to its young players, but it needed more help. Ariza quickly proved to be an active team defender who could get out and finish strong on the fast break. Jackson broke him in slowly, but after a few weeks, the 22-year-old became firmly entrenched in the rotation.
Unfortunately, Ariza suffered a foot injury in January and missed almost the rest of the year. But when he returned at the beginning of the following season, he picked up where he left off.
A 27.8% 3-point shooter during the 2007-08 campaign, he started to show improvement in that area. While he wouldn’t quite become a knockdown shooter, he became respectable in that area and started hitting timely outside shots for L.A.
This improvement led to Ariza being promoted to the team’s starting lineup in March 2009.
A playoffs to remember
Going into the 2009 NBA playoffs, Bryant and the Lakers were hell-bent on avenging their loss to the Boston Celtics in the finals the previous June. Ariza was happy to help L.A. finish the job this time around.
The Western Conference finals versus Carmelo Anthony’s Denver Nuggets was a dogfight for nearly five games. But Ariza helped the Lakers gain the upper hand with two interceptions late in Game 1 and Game 3 to seal close victories in both contests.
Los Angeles advanced to the NBA Finals. While a hobbled Celtics team didn’t make it there, the Lakers faced a strong Orlando Magic team. With L.A. clinging to a 2-1 series lead and down by 12 at halftime of Game 4, Ariza responded with a clutch performance.
He shot 5-of-6 and made both of his 3-point attempts in the third quarter to help his team go up by four heading into the fourth quarter. He also hit another big trey late in the final period, and it set the scene for Derek Fisher’s heroics that won the game and ensured a 15th world title for the Lakers.
Ariza left the Lakers that summer and had a long productive career for several other teams. Fittingly, he ended his career with L.A. during the 2021-22 season. Although he was past his expiration date at that point, fans will never forget his contributions during that memorable 2009 championship run.
