Lakers’ Brook Lopez has a house on Walt Disney World Resort property, but here’s the bummer
Reporting from Orlando — While some people might prefer the cosmopolitan city of Toronto to Orlando, Lakers center Brook Lopez is not one of them.
That’s nothing against Toronto, but Lopez loves Disney, and Disney World is a short drive from Orlando.
He loves it so much he owns a home in a residential community on Walt Disney World Resort property, and is staying there Tuesday night before the Lakers play the Magic on Wednesday. He loves Disney so much that in the week before the Lakers left for this road trip, Lopez went to Disneyland twice.
“I’ll always be a Disneyland guy,” Lopez said. “I grew up going there, it’s the original, but I love Disney World, I come out here all the time. Again, like in the summer and everything in the offseason, but I’m pretty used to it. It’s pretty cool having a house here.”
Asked about the differences between the parks, Lopez spoke uninterrupted for 81 seconds explaining the history of Disney World, what Walt Disney wanted to create and how the communities around the parks formed.
The Lakers played at Toronto on Sunday and didn’t fly to Orlando until Tuesday, so Lopez didn’t get a day off to go to Disney World. For Lopez it’s an unfortunate bit of scheduling since after most away games, the Lakers fly to the next city that night.
Asked if he felt bad for Lopez, coach Luke Walton said “A little bit.”
“Little bit. Sometimes those are decisions you gotta make. I think they’re open late though. He may still get there tonight.”
Lopez wasn’t planning on it.
“I want to,” Lopez said, “but I’m going to try to be responsible.”
Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli
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