Lakers fanatic gives back to Alamo community

Arthur “Loren” Tafoya has been a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers since the mid 1980′s.

So much so that he dresses up in Lakers attire and paints his face when he attends games. His fanaticism is such that during the 2007-2008 National Basketball Association season, an ESPN Radio Analyst gave Tafoya the nickname of the “NMLAKERSFAN” and it has stuck with him ever since.

Tafoya has been fortunate to make it to 28 of the 30 arenas in the NBA, and plans to make it to the final two arenas next season.

“I travel to different cities to watch the Lakers because its fun, but I also like to see new places, taste different foods and experience the different cultures,” Tafoya said.

Tafoya wanted to give back to the community somehow, so in 2010 he began planning an event which would allow him to help send a few people to a Lakers game. With the help of sponsors, Tafoya was able to get a pair of flights and game tickets to an April 6 game in Los Angeles.

Due to an NBA lockout that resulted in limited time available to plan the event, Loren used the 2011 raffle ticket participants during the public drawing and the name of a lucky winner was chosen.

The Grand Prize Winner of two round-trip flights to watch the Lakers play was Edbert and Nora Apache of the Alamo Reservation.

They stayed three nights and also received a tour of the Los Angeles area. They toured locations such as Hollywood, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Venice Beach.

While at the Lakers practice facility, they shook hands with a few players, got their autographs, and took pictures with them. They even got to touch Kobe Bryant’s red Ferrari.

“What a great time,” Edbert said. “I had never been to the ocean before and experiencing a Lakers game live was awesome.”

Next year Tafoya will conduct the 3rd Annual NMLAKERSFAN Community Giveback, and details can be found on his Website: www.nmlakersfan.com.