Lakers championship parade to be postponed until COVID pandemic is over: Report

The Los Angeles Lakers, both fans and players, wildly celebrated their NBA championship on Sunday night, albeit separately. While the Lakers turned the Orlando bubble into their party hub, fans flocked to the streets in LA to celebrate their side's 17th NBA title. According to TMZ Sports, fans will get the opportunity to celebrate the title with the players when the Lakers organise the traditional championship parade in LA. However, the Lakers championship parade is not scheduled to take place until after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Lakers championship parade slated for 'after' COVID pandemic

According to the report, the LA County and city officials have already started working with the bosses at the Lakers to organise a safe way to organise a parade for the fans to celebrate their NBA championship. The franchise clinched the title on Sunday night after a 106-93 victory over Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

While both parties are desperate to have some sort of unified celebration, the threat due to the virus means it is highly likely that the parade will be organised after the pandemic is over. The report further states other ideas were proposed for a title celebration, which included an 'in-car' parade where a limited number of vehicles would be allowed in a specific location to cheer for the players while the champions march through. However, this idea was quickly rejected as such a celebration will not fit the bill for Lakers' record-tying 17th NBA championship.

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Furthermore, since the title is coming to LA for the first time in 10 years, both parties want to continue with a traditional Lakers' championship parade, which will allow fans to take the streets to greet the players. The top bosses at the Lakers see this celebration as a way to unify the city, especially after a difficult 2020. LA struggled with the loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant followed by the pandemic and riots for the Black Lives Matter movement. 

The Lakers will wait for approval from LA County and City Officials before finalising a date for the parade. 

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After a triumphant three-month stay in Orlando, Los Angeles Lakers players arrived in LA on Monday. The Lakers posted multiple pictures of the players when they touched down at LAX on their social media handles.

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(Image Credits: Lakers Twitter)