Basketball: Lakers' victory party on hold because of pandemic

Lakers fans celebrate in front of the Staples Center on October 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - A public celebration of the Los Angeles Lakers' 17th NBA title will have to wait because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Los Angeles County still has a moratorium on large gatherings, meaning no victory parade will be held anytime soon to cheer LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of their Lakers teammates.

The Lakers won the NBA championship on Sunday night with a 106-93 win over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the finals. James led the Lakers with 28 points.

Neither the team nor the city have announced any plans to celebrate the players as they return home from the NBA bubble near Orlando, Fla.

A crowd estimated at more than 2,000 gathered near Staples Center Sunday night, and at least 76 people were arrested on suspicion of vandalism, unlawful assembly and failure to disperse, the Los Angeles Times reported.

This is the first NBA championship for the Lakers since 2010, when Kobe Bryant guided the team to the fifth title of his era.

The Lakers dedicated their championship to Bryant, who was killed along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash in January.

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