A Lakers championship celebration would play out much differently in 2020 https://ift.tt/34Dw8Rh

Blowing on vuvuzelas and perched atop bus shelters, fans crowded 100 deep in some spots and turned the 2-mile route between Staples Center and USC’s Galen Center into a river of purple and gold 10 years ago.

Unofficial counts ranged from 500,000 to 2 million people who converged along the parade route on June 21, 2010, celebrating the Lakers’ 16th NBA championship.

It will be a vastly different scene if the Lakers win one more game to wrap up championship No. 17 this season. With a 3-1 series lead, they can do it as soon as Friday, when they face the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals — which have capped a postseason played entirely the bubble in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

The coronavirus halted play in the NBA on March 11 and spurred a months-long hiatus, after which the league embarked on a plan to finish the season safely, without fans and in an enclosed environment at Walt Disney World Resort.

Now, with the Lakers one win from capturing this uniquely challenging championship, the pandemic will prevent people from potentially coming together en masse for a traditional celebration on the streets of L.A.

In L.A. County, a ban on large gatherings remains in place as a part of the Public Health Department’s “Safer at Home” orders, which state that “large events, such as conferences or events at convention centers, whether public or private, are still not allowed.”

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope about what’s it been like to compete for a title so far from Staples Center. “We really wanted to feel that this energy coming from the crowd, from the fans. But, you know, we can feel it all the way in Orlando in the bubble. We know you’re all out there cheering for us, rooting for us, all very happy for us.”

L.A. County health officer Dr. Muntu Davis insists that, this year, even if the Lakers win it all, it’s safest for fans to support from home.

“We’re still in the middle of a pandemic,” Davis said Thursday during a video conference with reporters. “We just want to remind people, the safest way to celebrate all of our teams — both the Lakers and the Dodgers — is to do it in the comfort of your own home.

“We’ll work with the city in terms of any other guidance related to what activities might come about, but there always is that concern, that people will gather. And I want to remind people that we are still in the middle of a pandemic, we’re still seeing a high number of cases, and thus, if at all possible, to do things virtually and in the comfort of your own home.”

With business to take care of yet, the Lakers have remained mum about what activities might, in fact, come about.

But on a recent episode of “Inside the Green Room” — the podcast hosted by Lakers guard Danny Green — team owner Jeanie Buss suggested the organization would find a safe way to celebrate the squad that has been a source of happiness in a year that’s otherwise proved stark.

“If we are so fortunate to win a championship, I think Lakers fans need to rest assured, if we are ever in that position, we will have something where everybody can feel that connection to the team and to celebrate safely,” she said on the podcast. “Because we are in a pandemic and large gatherings are prohibited, and we want to keep everybody safe. Yet this really is for the fans. Laker fans, we feel disconnected from our team, and hopefully we’ll be able to celebrate.

“And no matter what happens, we want to celebrate this team because they’ve really given us so many moments of joy this season in what has been a very down, depressing time for all of us going through so many different things.”

Whatever those celebration plans look like, they won’t include bringing thousands of people together.

To discourage crowds for Game 5, Staples Center and L.A. Live won’t show the action on any of the screens on-site. Vehicle and pedestrian access in the area also will be limited.

STAPLES Center & L.A. LIVE will not be airing/showing tomorrow’s NBA Finals game or potential post game celebrations on any of the exterior digital signage. Vehicle & pedestrian access will be limited & @Lakers fans encouraged to watch the game and celebrate responsibly at home.

— STAPLES Center (@STAPLESCenter) October 8, 2020

Following past Lakers championship wins, revelers have gathered spontaneously, with some of them acting violently. In 2010, there were reports of people vandalizing, taking over intersections, setting fires and throwing objects at police officers, who made 38 arrests.

But generally, most people poured into L.A. to celebrate the Lakers’ success in high spirits and with good intentions.

And the team welcomed them: In 2010, the Lakers reportedly reimbursed the city more than $1.5 million for the police and transportation workers needed to staff the parade, as well as the installation of barricades along the route.

Longtime Lakers fan Brenda Flowers, then 55, said the 2010 victory parade she was witnessing brought “positivity” to Los Angeles.

“Today we’re coming out in unity, and we’re going to be all right,” Flowers said. “We’re celebrating the Lakers, and it’s a beautiful thing.”

The sentiment needn’t change, said Davis, the county health official, even if fans have to celebrate at home: “Wear your gear, let’s support both of your teams and hope for the best.”

New episode with @JeanieBuss available now on YouTube https://t.co/jwVoFB7fZo pic.twitter.com/gLk4xTetcJ

— Inside The Green Room (@GreenRoomInside) September 28, 2020

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