Why JTA wearing Lakers jersey courtside didn’t bother Moody originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
There was nothing but love between Moses Moody and Juan Toscano-Anderson on Sunday when the former Warrior showed up to the California Classic repping his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
And it’s because Moody was OK with the name on the back of his old teammate’s jersey, he joked, when asked if Toscano-Anderson showing up to Chase Center in a No. 8 Lakers jersey bothered him.
“I mean, it was Kobe,” Moody told reporters with a smile after the Warriors’ 100-77 Summer League loss to the Lakers. “So it’s good.”
Toscano-Anderson sat courtside for Moody’s summer debut just days after reaching an agreement to play for the Lakers this upcoming season.
“It was good to see him over there. I didn’t know he was coming today,” Moody said. “I saw him over there courtside. It felt good to see him showing love … He was talking to me every time I was on that side of the floor.”
Heading into his second NBA season, Moody described the departures of his former Golden State teammates Toscano-Anderson, Gary Payton II and Otto Porter in free agency as “the biggest welcome to the NBA moment” of his young career.
“… I’m seeing all these guys that [we’ve] been through all this together, and that quick, they gone, they’re going to be on another team,” Moody said. “Might not see them again until we play.”
Moody was of course able to see his fellow NBA champion Toscano-Anderson on Sunday, but the suddenness of his first offseason reminded him of the league’s volatility when it comes to free agency.
“It’s different. That’s part of the game, I see that,” he said. “I didn’t really pay attention to it much before, how the NBA, how much the teams switch, but being a part of it, that’s something that’s really eye opening.”
RELATED: Steph sends heartfelt goodbye to JTA after Lakers deal
It’s never easy to say goodbye, especially to someone you won a championship ring with.
But Toscano-Anderson will always eat free in the Bay no matter what team he plays for, and it’s clear he has a special place in Moody’s heart, too.
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