Ty Lue knows a thing or two about what it takes to win in the NBA.
Lue is currently known as the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers but also spent 11 years playing in the league before moving to the other side of the game.
Speaking to the All The Smoke podcast, via Bleacher Report, Lue said that one of the teams he played for was the best ever.
“Nobody could beat that team,” Lue said of the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers.
Ty Lue calls the 2001 Lakers team the best ever 🔥
(via All The Smoke Podcast, @shobasketball) pic.twitter.com/iRajg9kBQj
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 28, 2023
They really were a team unlike any other at the time.
Led by the one-two punch of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers ended that season with a strong 56-26 record.
They were able to push through the competition and easily win the championship over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Before that, they didn’t lose a single game in the playoffs, beating the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs in clean sweeps.
Lue was part of that powerhouse team.
Alongside Lue were others like Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, and more.
With Bryant and O’Neal, this team was nearly impossible to beat.
The 2000-01 team was in the middle of a three-year run when they took home a championship ring each season.
But Lue wouldn’t be with them much longer.
Following his first three seasons with LA, he moved on to the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, and others.
Lue found a lot of success in the league, both as a player and a coach as well.
But he will probably always look back at his 2001 squad as the highlight of his career.
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