Sandro Mamukelashvili spent much of Thursday walking around Crypto.com Arena trying to make sense of where his basketball journey had taken him.
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ new forward had played in plenty of NBA arenas before. This one was different.
He was wearing the same purple and gold he grew up watching thousands of miles away in Georgia, where Kobe Bryant became his basketball idol.
Following the Lakers’ 114-110 preseason victory over the Sacramento Kings, Mamukelashvili struggled to describe what his first home appearance meant to him.
“I don’t think I can describe it in words,” Mamukelashvili told Lakers reporter Mike Trudell. “Like all day, I’ve been walking around feeling surreal or like emotions.”
Then came an unusual comparison.
“I feel like I’m wearing glasses and it’s just like 3D. Just somebody showing me around.”
For the 27-year-old, Thursday was more than another preseason game. It was a childhood dream unfolding in real time.
Kobe Bryant Inspired Mamukelashvili Growing Up in Georgia
Long before Mamukelashvili reached the NBA, the Lakers were one of the few teams he could regularly watch in his home country.
During Lakers media day, he explained how difficult it was to follow American basketball from Georgia.
“Even in Georgia, where I could rarely find an NBA game on TV, you would only see Lakers games,” Mamukelashvili said.
Bryant quickly became his favorite player.
But it wasn’t simply Bryant’s five championships or scoring ability that left an impression. Mamukelashvili admired his relentless approach to improving.
He studied Bryant’s interviews and videos, drawing inspiration from the Hall of Famer’s belief that success demanded complete commitment.
That admiration eventually became permanent.
While playing college basketball at Seton Hall, Mamukelashvili got a “Mamba Mentality” tattoo, a tribute to the Lakers legend who died in January 2020.
Years later, that same player would sign with Bryant’s former team.
In an interview with the California Post after joining Los Angeles, Mamukelashvili admitted he once considered the possibility almost unimaginable.
“I could only imagine this really in 2K, that I would be playing for this team,” he said.
Lakers Dream Becomes Reality After Career-Best Season
Mamukelashvili’s path to Los Angeles was hardly straightforward.
A second-round pick in 2021, he began his NBA career with the Milwaukee Bucks before spending parts of three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
His breakthrough came last season with the Toronto Raptors, where he averaged career highs of 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 38.9% from the 3-point range.
That performance helped him secure a four-year, $52 million contract with the Lakers.
Now he’s playing alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, with coach JJ Redick encouraging him to take open shots without hesitation.
Through three preseason games, Mamukelashvili has made eight of 14 attempts from beyond the arc, including three against Sacramento on Thursday.
His early shooting has been encouraging, but the significance of joining the Lakers extends well beyond his statistics.
He arrived at Thursday’s game wearing Kobe-inspired shoes, another reminder of the player who shaped his love for basketball.
And when Trudell asked what it felt like to finally wear the Lakers uniform in front of the home crowd, Mamukelashvili returned to the emotion of the moment.
“It was amazing, and the fans are amazing,” he said. “I’m grateful, and I’m looking forward to having the season.”
For a kid who once waited for Lakers games to appear on television in Georgia, the view looks considerably different now.
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