Juan Toscano-Anderson, the first Mexican American player on the LA Lakers, was honored with a mural that was recently unveiled in Inglewood, California.
Since signing with the team in July 2022 after playing two seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Toscano-Anderson received a standing ovation when he made his debut with the Lakers on July 3 of this year during the California Summer Classic League. During his run with the Warriors, Toscano-Anderson became the second Mexican player to win an NBA championship.
His performance was universally praised by fans and commentators, and his departure was a bittersweet moment for NBA enthusiasts, who were happy to see Toscano-Anderson’s talent recognized by the Lakers even if it meant leaving the Warriors.
With the start of the regular season in less than two months, a Mexican artist from Los Angeles named Gustavo Zermeño Jr. celebrated Toscano-Anderson with a mural that was officially unveiled earlier today, Esto reports.
The mural shows Toscano-Anderson wearing a No. 95 Lakers jersey with a Mexican flag draped around his shoulders. In the background, the pyramids of Tenochtitlán can be seen as a nod to the player’s heritage. Toscano-Anderson visited the mural during the unveiling, as documented by paisaboys on their Instagram.
Although many fans from the Bay Area are happy to see one of their star players move on to greener pastures, it is not without some sadness. In an Instagram post from LA Taco, Bay Area fans congratulated Toscano-Anderson on his move to the Lakers, but thought they would, indeed, miss having the player on the Warriors.
“You all have a good one, we will miss him in the bay!!” said one comment. Another read, “Maximum respect from a Warriors fan here.” For a sport whose fans are especially fond of trades and changing alliances, the respect given to Toscano-Anderson by Warriors fans is remarkable and speaks volumes for how famous he is.
On the other hand, Lakers fans can’t wait to see Toscano-Anderson hit the court in his yellow jersey. In the same Instagram post from LA Taco, Lakers fans chimed in to express their emotions. “He came to the right place,” says one comment. Many Lakers fans agreed, and one comment put it best, reading, “He’s Juan and the only…”
The muralist noted that, in general, it took a month to measure and plan the project, although the actual painting took only a week and a half. Zermeño is the Los Angeles-born son of two Mexican immigrants from Tepatitlán, Jalisco.
“Here in Los Angeles we love big and big things. They are on the same level for us. We must show them love, they are all part of our family. I always do murals around Los Angeles,” Zermeño said of the NBA in Latin America. “Obviously I love the Lakers and the city, I love my Latin roots. Many of my works represent all of this, my heritage, my culture. A lot has to do with Chicano culture in Los Angeles. This is very cool.”
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