Lakers Celebrate

Watching the last minutes of Game 5, between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic, fans in Los Angeles had already started celebrations. Many cheered in their homes as the Lakers celebrated in Amway Arena. My dad had teased me, through Chief, for a blowout! And I teased my friend, Neal Tieng, knowing he is a Celtics fan.

Finally, Kobe emerged from the shadows of Shaq and Coach Phil Jackson earned his 10th ring.

There were news that amidst the recession and tough times, there would be no victory parade for the Lakers. A six-figure budget was expected to spent on such a parade. But finally, the city and the Laker organization shared financial resources to celebrate the championship.


An estimated 150,000, many in purple and golf, made their presence felt along the parade that started at the Staples Center, down Figueroa Street and ended at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Photo by Mark Boster.

The Laker Girls made their presence in the packed Coliseum. Maybe, one day, I will watch a Lakers Game at Staples Stadium.


Kobe Bryant said, "We feel this championship. We feel the energy of the city. We want to do this thing again and again. So you know we'll be back next year ready to go." Photo by Mark Boster of the LA Times. Am sure many fans saw Kobe share the championship trophy with his wife and two kids on TV after Game 5 at the Amway Arena.

Did you know that the hardwood floor from Staples Center had been disassembled and then, reassembled inside the Coliseum.


"We've got an amazing young group of people here," player Pau Gasol told the crowd. "We're still hungry. We're not done yet. We want more. We want more. . . . After experiencing what we experienced in the parade coming here and being in this beautiful stadium, we want to definitely offer you more. So be ready for it." They definitely would not have won without Gasol! Photo by Mark Boster.

The celebrations was generally peaceful except for a few guys whose presence caught the attention of CHiPs along the 101 Freeway. Suddenly, I remember Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada.

In my own way, I was celebrating, proudly wearing my old blue “take it to the hoop” Laker T-shirt.