Local support for LSU Lady Tigers, Sharpie Rings and Drama between Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone

The LSU Lady Tigers, the women’s basketball team of Louisiana State University, are set to face the University of Miami in the Elite Eight on March 26th. Despite fans not being able to attend their Sweet Sixteen game against the Utah Utes in South Carolina, supporters made it a mission to show love in Baton Rouge.

Local residents support Lady Tigers during Sweet Sixteen game

Fans showed their support for the Lady Tigers during their Sweet Sixteen game against Utah Utes. Shawn Ruiz, one of the supporters, has been attending every game and was amazed by how the team has come together. Anton Levandsky, a new resident of the area, witnessed the strong community support towards LSU teams. Sarah Adler, another local resident, wants to spread a message of support for the Lady Tigers as their journey continues.

Jason Lopez, general manager at Burbank Walk On’s restaurant, said that the business always makes it a mission to show support for the LSU teams, especially the Lady Tigers. From banners on walls to specials on game day, they make sure that they display their support and spirit towards their hometown heroes.

Sharpie rings in the Elite Eight matchup

LSU’s use of Sharpie rings in their Elite Eight matchup against Miami caught everyone’s attention. These black-marker drawn Sharpie rings represented what each team member was fighting for. The idea came from LSU associate head coach Bob Starkey. He had seen a similar tactic used by Gary Blair at Texas A&M back in 2013. Blair called it a placeholder until they could wear real championship rings.

In this Elite Eight matchup with Miami, every player and staff member wore a sharpie ring on their finger. Sa’Myah Smith redid Angel Reese’s ring during a timeout and drew attention to this gesture. Reese proudly pointed to her ring to celebrate certain shots and plays, stating that it represented what the team was built for and what they wanted. Starkey interrupted head coach Kim Mulkey’s pregame talk to emphasize the team’s end goal with the Sharpie rings.

Drama between Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone during their time on the Lakers

During the 2003-04 season, Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone shared their time playing for the Lakers, despite having very low chemistry as teammates. Kobe already had three championships under his belt with Shaquille O’Neal before Malone joined the team.

Malone had an affinity towards hunting and was known to wear cowboy hats and boots. However, during a game, Vanessa Bryant asked Malone what he was hunting as she overheard him saying something about hunting Mexican girls. This made Vanessa uncomfortable, causing Kobe to become unhappy with Malone’s comment. Since then, tension between these two players continued to remain sour.

Malone believed in resolving conflicts through fighting and even offered to “knuckle up” with Kobe in order to resolve any issues they may have had. Despite their differences, both players were ultimately united in their effort for success on the court.

These three stories demonstrate how local residents support their local teams, the creative ways sports teams show their unity and motivation while playing, and how even among talented stars like Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone there can be tension between teammates which ultimately doesn’t affect their performance on-court.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons