The term 'CALIFORNIA Cager' is a combination of two words, 'CALIFORNIA' and 'Cager, ' which refer to a professional basketball player from the state of CALIFORNIA. The crossword solution for this term is 'Laker, ' which is the name of the Los Angeles-based professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Lakers have been one of the most successful teams in the NBA since their inception in 1948, winning 16 championships and having some of the greatest players in the history of the game, such as Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson.