What's next? NBA champion, UNCW alum Devontae Cacok eager for more

Already in the discussion as one of the best players to play at UNCW, Devontae Cacok has now etched himself into the very fabric of basketball history. 

Cacok, who graduated from UNCW in 2019, won't soon forget his three-month stretch inside the NBA's Orlando Bubble. He arrived as a rookie trying to find any way to help his team, and he left an NBA champion after the Los Angeles Lakers knocked off the Miami Heat 4-2 in The Finals' best-of-seven series. 

There's visual proof, too. One of the iconic photos of the Lakers' championship celebration features LeBron James being mobbed by his teammates immediately after securing his fourth NBA title. Right behind a smiling James is a screaming Cacok, putting all of his emotions into one picture. 

"It's still surreal to me. I'm just blessed and happy for everything to work out the way it did," Cacok told the StarNews Thursday. 

"I'm a part of basketball history and I'm a part of LeBron's legacy. I'm one of the only people to have ever won an NBA championship. It doesn't get lost on me."

But what's next for Cacok? Can it get any better than winning an NBA title as a rookie and learning from arguably the greatest player of all time?

Championships are the ultimate goal, but Cacok wants to take his bubble lessons and continue to improve as a player. He hopes that if the Lakers win the title again with him on the roster, he'll be able contribute on the floor in a more meaningful way. 

"My work was behind-the-scenes in the bubble, but I was grinding," Cacok said. "I was getting better in practice every day. The only focus was basketball, and spending that much time with guys like LeBron, (Anthony Davis) and Rondo, I learned a lot about the game."

Cacok's biggest lessons from the bubble revolve around the mental side of the game. He said the NBA Playoffs were the highest level of basketball he's ever gotten to watch, and his basketball IQ increased dramatically inside the bubble. 

He also learned the value of scouting your opponent. There's attention to every detail, especially in the playoffs, and that work will only get heightened for Cacok moving forward. 

But first, it's time to rest. After leaving the bubble, Cacok returned to his Atlanta home and has spent the past week hanging out with friends and family. He hasn't touched a basketball since the last day of The Finals. 

He'll get back to work soon, though. There's no exact start date for the next NBA season, but Cacok plans on splitting his time between Atlanta and Los Angeles this offseason. After three months of receiving daily guidance, Cacok looks forward to getting back on the grind with revered assistant coaches like Jason Kidd and Phil Handy.

"The goal is to sharpen my skills and whenever the season starts, I want to be able to carve a role with the Los Angeles Lakers," Cacok said. "This off-season is crucial for the rest of my career. It can go a lot of different ways, but I'm ready to work and see what's in God's plan."