Lakers Will Not Unveil Championship Banner With no Fans in Stands

The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have the traditional championship parade due to the coronavirus pandemic. LeBron James and his teammates will enter the new season with a great roster, ready to win back-to-back titles. The Lakers won’t unfurl their championship banner. They have a different plan.

Players and coaches will get their rings ahead on the season-opening night. Dave McMenamin of ESPN confirmed that the Lakers won’t unveil their banner until fans take their seats in the stands at Staples Center.

“The Lakers will have a black cloak covering the 2019-20 championship banner for opening night, with the message, ‘Stay tuned, Lakers family,’ printed in gold block letters on it. It will stay covered until the coronavirus pandemic has subsided and fans are allowed back in the building for games.”

Lakers players won’t unveil their championship banner

Lakers president of business operations Tim Harris told ESPN the franchise planned to share the moment with their loyal fans.

“And then the stuff that comes with a championship, the assets that come with a championship, it’s kind of like the ownership group are the caretakers of the trophy,” Harris said, via McMenamin. “And the rings when you win a championship, those belong to the players. The banner when you win a championship belongs to the fans. That’s kind of how I look at this.”

We don’t know if basketball fans will take their seats in the arena. Well, they may return, but crowds won’t be allowed to attend games. Large groups of fans would only make things worse. LA is dealing with increased numbers of coronavirus cases.

When it comes to the upcoming season, the Los Angeles Lakers will take the big stage. Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol, Dennis Schroder and many others will help LeBron and his team win a title. LeBron is playing elite basketball and he signed a two-year contract extension with the team. That’s his best motivation. AD signed his deal too. LA offered him a five-year extension worth $190 million. It doesn’t get any better than this. The Lakers are ready to win and they will use the new season to deliver big messages. LeBron has a plan on this one.