City Celebrates Lakers' 15th NBA Championship
Eric Richardson
[Flickr]
The crowd at L.A. Live is reflected in the NBA Championship trophy, carried by the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers 2009 NBA Championship parade kicked off just after 11:20am this morning, passing a lively crowd at Staples Center before turning south down Figueroa toward a celebration to be held before a capacity crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
At L.A. Live, the crowd watched on giant screens throughout the complex as the Lakers players boarded their double-decker buses moments before the parade began.
At the Coliseum, some fans spent the night outside the stadium to assure themselves good seats for the Championship celebration. The Lakers home court was transported to the Coliseum for the event.
A massive police presence along the route was intended to assure that there was no repeat of the disturbances that broke out after Sunday's title-clinching win in Orlando. 18 people were arrested in incidents throughout the South Park area.
Despite the massive deployment, estimated to be near 2,000 officers, there was still a minor incident near the Coliseum when a group of people attempted to barge their way into the full stadium by crawling over a ticket booth. There were several arrests.
Early reports estimate the parade crowd at 150,000, with 90,000 fans inside the Coliseum.
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Matt Nelson on June 17, 2009, at 12:07PM – #1
Awesome photo!
Angela Jude on June 17, 2009, at 12:55PM – #2
I agree, GREAT photography!
dl on June 17, 2009, at 02:19PM – #3
I want that shirt Kobe is wearing. It's a Nike limited edition shirt "4 Rings", and going for $75 on eBay.
v on June 17, 2009, at 04:26PM – #4
Let's make Laker's pay for the cost of the riot the other night! i am still pissed off at that.
Don Garza on June 17, 2009, at 09:09PM – #5
great photos
The Dude on June 17, 2009, at 10:45PM – #6
USC got looted. The sociopaths stole the earthquake kit supplies from under the stairs in RGL, and nearly made out with several pieces of furniture until someone disrupted the theft.
Jasmijn on June 17, 2009, at 11:12PM – #7
Nice. So much for nothing to worry about re. the parade. (OK, so strictly speaking it wasn't part of the parade, just its endpoint.) Roses OK?
Chris Vazquez on June 18, 2009, at 10:07AM – #8
Nice photos!
And big shout-outs to L.A. natives Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar winning the crown with the "Downtown" L.A. Lakers!
outmywindow on June 20, 2009, at 12:31PM – #9
The city can put on the parade but they can't afford to put a lunchtime concert on at Pershing Square during the farmers market.
Show offs show offs, big deal on TV, but once again we who live in downtown small potatos