Lakers vs. Magic + NBA X Disney = Goofy (and friends) finals gear
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I stopped by the Team LA store at Staples Center this afternoon to pick up a replacement set of purple car flags for the sweet diamond white Cadillac land yacht I sail around town (the originals, a gift from my sister-in-law and less than an week old were donated to a stretch of Third Street near La Brea when I rolled down the wrong windows yesterday) and marveled at the depth and breadth of purple and gold (and in some cases pink, black and retro blue) Lakers items that stocked the shelves.
I’m not just talking jerseys and a handful of T-shirts, pennants, bobble heads, lanyards, license plate frames, track suits, posters, key chains and fridge magnets. I’ve always appreciated the merchandising savvy of the National Basketball Assn., and judging by the stock on hand, they’ve pulled out all the stops for the NBA Finals.
The most recent addition, in honor of the Los Angeles/Orlando match-up, is a series of shirts that depict Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto tricked out in Lakers gear (Orlando’s got versions in the Magic’s blue and white color scheme).
A few days ago, I received a news release from the NBA that explained the synergy thusly: ‘The Magic and Lakers share their hometowns with Disney’s two U.S. theme parks, Disneyland Resort® and Walt Disney World Resort®.’ While that’s not exactly true, if the MLB’s gerrymandering allows the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to exist, we can spot the NBA a small gaffe.
But I have just one question -- whose Laker jersey is Mickey Mouse wearing on that T-shirt? It’s hard to tell exactly from the photo, but it looks like No. 24 to me -- which would make him Kobe Mouse. And the tall one’s gotta be Pau Goofsol, right?
-- Adam Tschorn
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