Rolling Meadows graduate Christie living dream, ignoring noise with Lakers
Just three years removed from playing his senior season at Rolling Meadows High School, Max Christie recently found himself starting five games in a row for the Los Angeles Lakers, alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Christie is just 20 years old, so his starting stint was a mixed bag. But there's always pressure that comes with wearing the Purple and Gold. No visiting team gets anywhere close to as many cheers at United Center as the Lakers.
After a couple weeks as a starter, Christie certainly drew enough strong opinions from Lakers fans to qualify for a segment of Mean Tweets on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“I wouldn't call it pressure,” Christie said before Wednesday's game at United Center. “The Lakers obviously are probably the premier team in the NBA in terms of fan base and notoriety. So it's definitely a privilege, I think, more than pressure, for sure.”
The Lakers have gotten healthier, so Christie did not play Wednesday until the final 1:18. Last year as a rookie, he didn't make the trip to Chicago, so this was his first time playing an NBA game in his hometown.
The 6-foot-6 shooting guard got some late playing time because this was another strong effort by the Bulls, who used stellar 3-point shooting and impressive balance to cruise past the Lakers 124-108.
The Bulls (12-17) are 7-3 in their last 10 games, with five of those victories against teams with winning records. They'll have more chances to make up ground, since this is the start of a six-game homestand that continues Thursday against San Antonio and hyped rookie Victor Wembanyama.
“We're just coming together, figuring out all the things we were struggling with early on,” DeMar DeRozan said. “We had all the right intentions at the beginning of the season, things just weren't going our way. I think now just having the comfort, sharing the ball, not caring who do what, making things easy for one another.”
DeRozan led the way with 27 points and 9 assists, while the Bulls finished with eight players in double figures. Coby White added 17, Patrick Williams and Alex Caruso had 15 each, Ayo Dosunmu 14, Nikola Vucevic 13, Andre Drummond 11 and Jevon Carter 10.
The Bulls matched their season high for 3-point makes, going 18 for 34 from behind the arc. Five players hit at least 3, with Dosunmu, Williams, White and Caruso combining to go 16 for 24.
The Lakers got off to a fast start with James, who turns 39 in 10 days, opening the game with a layup, dunk, 3-pointer and assist, leading his team to a 9-4 lead. The Bulls turned the tables quickly with a couple of 3s and never trailed after going on a 20-5 run.
The Lakers closed within a point early in the third quarter, but the Bulls kept hitting timely 3s, stretched the lead to 12 points by the end of the third and were never seriously threatened in the fourth. James finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists.
In addition to spending time as a starter this month, Christie also collected an extra $500,000, the reward for the Lakers winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
“It's been a whirlwind for sure,” he said. “I think I did a good job. It's always tough being in the position I'm in. Sometimes I'm playing, sometimes I'm not, but I feel like I'm being real professional about it.
“I dreamed about this as a kid, being in the NBA. Now I'm living out my dream at a pretty young age, so it definitely is everything I wished for, for sure, and I'm really enjoying it and trying to be a part of it for as long as I can.”
A second-round pick in 2022 after playing one year at Michigan State, Christie said he visited with his parents, a couple of high school friends and ate at Portillo's after the Lakers arrived in town Tuesday.
“Max is going to be in the fold for a long time with our organization,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “He's playing on a deep, deep roster. He takes care of his business, regardless of his minutes or whether he's in or out of the rotation, so he'll be fine.”
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