The Los Angeles Lakers took home the 17th championship in franchise history last season — tying the Boston Celtics for the most all-time — in the most unexpected circumstances.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James led L.A. to the title within the confines of the Walt Disney World bubble amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Beyond that, the Lakers won the same year as the L.A. Dodgers, repeating their success from 1988.
Due to the pandemic, both teams have been unable to hold a parade, only saying they’ll wait until it’s safe to gather in large crowds once again.
However, with the NBA season underway, a parade would have to wait until the offseason when the Lakers may potentially not even be reigning champions anymore.
Davis — who won the title in his first year in L.A. — revealed that he and his teammates tried their best to get a parade arranged despite the circumstances, via an interview with Rachel Nichols of ESPN:
“I didn’t (buy anything to celebrate). Kuz pulled up in a Lamborghini. I was like, ‘Kuz, you’re doing your thing!’ I haven’t bought anything of that magnitude. The only thing that I hate that we didn’t do was have the parade. We really pushed to have that parade. That just means we have to win it again this year to have one.”
Davis makes it sound like a parade for the 2020 championship is out of the cards unless the Lakers can repeat. At that point, they could do a joint parade with members of both teams present.
Having that parade is just added incentive for the Lakers to win back-to-back titles, and may be the same thing for the Dodgers. Through the first part of the 2020-21 regular season, the Lakers once again look like top championship contenders.
They are statistically one of the best teams in the league on both sides of the ball, despite some coasting from members of last year’s roster.
Lakers learning on the fly due to lack of practice time
Another thing that bodes well for the Lakers is the fact that they’re playing extremely well despite almost never practicing. They’re having to figure out what works and what doesn’t while playing against opposing NBA teams.
“A lot of our games are like big practices for us too. Coach is still learning different lineups and seeing what combinations work, what combinations don’t work,” LeBron James said.
“Myself, I’m out there playing with certain lineups, certain lineups I don’t play with, certain lineups I do play with, so I’m logging a lot of minutes with guys I may not have logged with in a couple games.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!