Describing Every Member of LA Lakers in a Tweet

Nothing captures the essence of Twitter—at least as it relates to the NBA—more than following the players themselves.

The four most popular players on the Los Angeles Lakers—Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash—have nearly nine million combined followers.

It seems like social media rules the world these days, and the NBA is no exception to its dominion. 

The advent and widespread adoption of Twitter has added a whole new dimension to following the NBA. There's more personal access to players, teams, personalities and media members than ever before.

Follow the right group of people, and you'll never be out of the loop on anything related to the Association. You can get links to every must-see highlight play minutes after they happen. You can follow and participate in intelligent basketball conversations about the minutiae of the league. You can see what the athletes get up to off the court.

So, in the spirit of the Twitter-verse, here are the core members of the Lakers summed up in a tweet.

Jordan Hill

Jordan Hill seems like a good-natured dude off the court, and his Twitter timeline backs that up. Here's an example of what he likes to do.

"

Went and spent 60Gs on a new Camaro...straight cash!!! yfrog.com/odxcfucuj

— Jordan Craig Hill (@jordanchill43) March 8, 2013"

Imagine seeing a seven-footer riding a toy car through your neighborhood. Classic.

Jodie Meeks

Jodie Meeks goes hard. You can see it in the way he plays.

He's always hustling to close out on shooters and grab loose balls. He plays defense with a passion and never hesitates to drive hard to the rim in transition.

That kind of mentality starts with how he prepares for games.

"

Kobe Bryant is usually the first player on the court but Jodie Meeks isn't far behind, shooting 500 times before every game.

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) March 10, 2013"

Earl Clark

Coming into this season no one really knew who Earl Clark was—as a player or as a person.

Turns out Clark can be a key contributor to a team. And his personality is beginning to shine through as well.

"

Earl Clark's suggestion (on.nba.com/14OsqN5) for Kate Middleton & Prince William's baby, if it's a boy: Fresh Prince. I agree.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 11, 2013"

And he's a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air fan. My man.

Steve Blake

Steve Blake has had a rough go of it so far as a member of the Lakers. He didn't really live up to his contract during his first couple seasons with the team, but he has played well as a backup to Steve Nash when healthy this season.

After two months of watching Darius Morris and Chris Duhon confirm the stereotype about Lakers point guards, fans appreciate Blake more now.

"

Once again, how big of a difference is it having Steve Blake as the backup PG vs. Morris or Duhon? Answer: BIG difference.

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) February 15, 2013"

You really can't undersell Blake's importance since his return.

Antawn Jamison

Antawn Jamison is the personification of a savvy veteran. Having played for five different teams in his 15 years in the league, Jamison has more perspective about the game than most players.

He knows being an NBA player is about more than just playing basketball. Jamison understands the importance of giving back to the community as well.

"

Antawn Jamison finishes up Saturday's practice playing Knockout with a group of kids. #GoLakers twitter.com/Lakers/status/…

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 2, 2013"

Metta World Peace

You just never, ever, EVER know what you're going to get from Metta World Peace—on the court or off it.

Chowing down on organic vegan cookies while taking in a rap battle? That's a typical Tuesday in Metta's world.

"

Oh yea. I am about to eat organic vegan cookies and watch Arsonal vs Charlie Clips!!!!

— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) March 5, 2013"

Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol is known as "The Spaniard" for a reason.

He is all about Spain. It's his homeland, obviously, and he takes great pride in Spanish athletic feats, whether it's giving props to Ricky Rubio, cheering on FC Barcelona or shouting out Spain's top tennis players.

"

Tonight, great Spanish final in #Acapulco! Best of luck to both of my friends @davidferrer87 and @rafaelnadal ! I won't miss it. #Armada

— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) March 2, 2013"

Also, exclamation marks are clearly Gasol's punctuation mark of choice.

Steve Nash

Steve Nash is the consummate professional. He works his butt off to stay in shape and puts himself in position to play at a high level even at his advanced age.

"

Just noticed that Steve Nash, despite the injury, turmoil and change in role, is on pace for a 50-40-90 season. At age 39.

— Chris Ballard (@SI_ChrisBallard) March 9, 2013"

No doubt Nash is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard—the most-followed Laker on Twitter with nearly four million followers—has been scrutinized more heavily than any player in the entire league over the past year.

While many feel that Howard's propensity to smile means he can't be a winner or play well under pressure, that simply isn't the case.

Howard reminded everyone how dominant he can be in his first trip back to Orlando since leaving the Magic.

"

Dwight Howard finishes with 39 points and 16 rebounds. Now that's a homecoming.

— chris palmer (@ESPNChrisPalmer) March 13, 2013"

Kobe Bryant

In a league full of competitive people, Kobe Bryant may be the ultimate competitor. He will use the tiniest of slights as motivational fuel.

After a harmless, throwaway line from Mark Cuban suggesting the Lakers may look to amnesty Bryant, Kobe put up a 38-7-12 line in a win over the Dallas Mavericks later in the week and then took to Twitter post-game for a direct comeback at Cuban:

"

Amnesty THAT

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013"

Kobe's cheeky comment has drawn nearly 57,000 re-tweets so far.