On the day that conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who opened a pathway to classical music for so many who had been alienated by it, announced he was leaving the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Lakers’ LeBron James became the highest scorer in NBA history, cementing his legacy in basketball and in Los Angeles.
It was a bittersweet Tuesday. Both of these extraordinary, world-renowned performers have infused Los Angeles with a sense of pride. And now one of them is leaving for — ugh — New York.
Los Angeles is a city full of film and TV stars who live and occasionally work here. But Dudamel and James shine beyond the Hollywood constellation as hometown heroes, embedding themselves in our current Angeleno story line.
