Lakers' Title Odds Have Drawn More Bets Than Other 29 NBA Teams Combined

Suffice it to say bettors are confident in the Los Angeles Lakers' chances of repeating as NBA champions.

David Purdum of ESPN reported gamblers at William Hill sportsbooks have bet 60 percent of their total dollars on the Lakers to win the 2020-21 championship—more than all other 29 teams combined.

The Lakers are currently listed at 11-4 favorites.

The champs spent their offseason working on talent retention and fortifying their bench. Anthony Davis, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Markieff Morris re-upped with new deals, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma signed contract extensions, and general manager Rob Pelinka was busy acquiring Dennis Schroder, Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol as new role players.

In nearly every sense, the Lakers are a better, more complete team than they were a year ago.

That said, the sheer amount of money bet on the Lakers is eye-opening. This is a very good team but not one that fits on the inevitability scale with the KD-Steph-Klay-Dray Warriors.

The Clippers are back and may be stronger after bringing in Ty Lue as coach and Serge Ibaka to man the spot previously held by Harrell. The Brooklyn Nets are welcoming back Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, while the Milwaukee Bucks appear stronger after trading for Jrue Holiday. 

Add in a potential ascent for young players on the Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics and 2020 East champion Miami Heat, and there is strong championship competition this season.

That said, the Lakers proved every one of their doubters wrong last season and are even better this time around. They're a clear and significant favorite to hoist an 18th banner.