"I honestly just felt left out" - Issa Rae talks about how she became a Lakers fan

Issa Rae is a lot of things. She is an accomplished actress, writer, producer, comedian and a Lakers fan.

The 38-year-old recently sat down with People Magazine where she discussed her love for basketball among a number of other topics. Rae mentioned that her brothers were always huge Lakers fans and that she felt left out. She said:

"I honestly just felt left out."

After being introduced to the game through the Lakers, Issa Rae has now become a major basketball fan. She supports the NBA, college basketball and was also excited about the recent growth of the WNBA. She said:

"It's incredible, especially on the WNBA and the women's college basketball side, just to see the attention that some of the players are getting, and — even through the negativity — just how invested people are in the success of these athletes, these women.

"That's just a fanfare that we haven't seen in the past before, and I hope that this only continues and also extends to the treatment and the compensation for female athletes moving forward... I'm just excited for what's to come."

While it was great to see her giving credit and attention to the women's game, Rae admitted that she is still a Lakers fan above everything else.

Lakers' playoff outlook

Issa Rae has plenty to root for as the Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the All-Star break. After an active trade deadline in which they flipped the majority of the roster in favor of better-fitting players, the Lakers went 17-9 to close out the year.

They have carried this success into the postseason, winning their play-in matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves to officially punch their playoff tickets. LA also secured a series-opening win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

With the Western Conference wide open, LeBron James and Anthony Davis each remaining healthy, and the team showing signs of clicking, there is plenty of reason for optimism surrounding the Lakers. They will resume the series on Wednesday as the Grizzlies attempt to even things up on their home court.

Issa Rae and all other Lakers fans will be watching as the franchise chases its 16th championship and holds significantly more optimism than was the case for most of this season.