Laker and ex-Laker player numbers used as code for drug amounts

The Lakers enjoy an enormous fan base that extends from coast to coast, with Hawaii and Alaska and China thrown in.

But team officials would certainly like to avoid this type of national recognition.

A story about the rise in the use of Phencyclidine, or PCP, on elementsbehavioralhealth.com, says that the numbers for Lakers and ex-Lakers are code words by dealers nationally.

“It’s sold using basketball names for the amount wanted,” Los Angeles Police Department narcotics Det. Frank Lyga said in the story. He explained that those seeking 24 ounces would reference Kobe Bryant, who wears No. 24. Shaquille O’Neal and Lamar Odom are other codes.

Said Lyga: “So, they’ll call up and say, ‘I want a Kobe,’ or, ‘I want a Shaq. Or, you want a Lamar?’”

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