Frank Vogel and the Los Angeles Lakers will finally get to share a championship moment with their fans on Wednesday night as they prepare to unveil the 2019-20 banner before their game against the Houston Rockets.
This is the first championship-related celebration that the Lakers will get to have with fans in attendance amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The championship parade, which usually occurs in the days following a title run, has not yet happened. The Lakers have revealed no plans to do so, as they are likely waiting for the results of this season before deciding anything. Meanwhile, the Lakers’ ring night occurred without fans in attendance, as it was opening night of the 2020-21 season.
Frank Vogel spoke about the opportunity to celebrate the Lakers championship with fans in the building and what the moment means for him personally.
“Obviously, it’s a great source of pride for me personally and for our whole group. Our staff, our players, our coaches, ownership, our whole front office. Everybody is super proud of what we were able to accomplish last year and this moment with the banner is really about the fans.
“It’s going to be a special moment for us, but when we had the ring ceremony there were no fans in the building. We purposely postponed this to the end of the year, so that our fans can celebrate this. We haven’t had a parade. They weren’t there for the ring ceremony, so with us to be able to raise that banner with fans in the building, it’s very special and that moment is going to go to them. For them, the fans.”
Hopefully, Lakers fans will still geo to celebrate the 2019-20 championship with a parade regardless of the results of this season. However, Wednesday night will be a great moment for those who have spent months waiting for the chance to be a part of a historic title run.
The Lakers did an incredible job with the ring night ceremony, and they’ll likely follow it up with something special for the fans in attendance. For Vogel, the moment will be special regardless.
The ceremony is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. PT and will be televised on Spectrum SportsNet.
Vogel happy to win two games in a row
For the first time since March, the Lakers strung together two consecutive wins against the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. Vogel spoke about how he felt after winning a second straight game.
“It feels good to win two in a row. I can tell you that much for all of us. Actually, that road trip on the East Coast we talked about that just about every time we won a game. Like we haven’t won two in a row in a while. Obviously, we hit that stretch where we lost eight out of 10.
“It’s been a challenging time for all of us, but we’ve remained together. We’re confident in what we can accomplish come playoff time. Hopefully, we can get there healthy.”
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