L.A. Times: President Obama telephoned Lakers Coach Phil Jackson on Thursday and congratulated him and the Lakers on winning the NBA championship this season.
A White House spokesperson initially made contact earlier in the day with Lakers public relations director John Black, who made sure Jackson got on the phone to talk about the Lakers defeating the Orlando Magic and to set up a time for the team to visit the White House.
Black said he has been exchanging e-mails with the White House staff to set up a time for the Lakers to visit the White House. Black said it’ll probably happen before the season begins in the fall.
Andrew Bynum, after missing last year’s Finals that the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics, seemed excited about the possibility of meeting Obama.
“Obviously when we get the ring and we do the ceremony and we meet Barack, it’s really, really going to set in,” Bynum said about winning the NBA championship. “For me right now, it’s like living a dream, really. The parade yesterday was unbelievable.”
Continue reading ‘President Obama puts in a call to the Lakers’
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L.A. Times: A triumphant Lakers championship team entered the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum today to thunderous applause as the city paid tribute to the team.
The events took place on the Lakers’ actual home court; the hardwood floor from Staples Center had been trucked over and reassembled inside the Coliseum. The Laker Girls performed for the packed Coliseum crowd before the players and members of the organization were introduced.
“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.”
Kobe Bryant added: “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.”
The crowd was generally peaceful. But the LAPD was dealing with scattered problems. A crowd broke down a fence at the Coliseum and threw bottles at officers, who fired beanbag rounds at them. Six people were arrested. The California Highway Patrol also cited 30 people for running onto the 110 Freeway.
Continue reading ‘Lakers, fans rejoice at a packed celebration’
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This is just a wonderful story. This city is united within the purple and gold. Major props and thank you!
L.A. Times: Mayor says no city tax dollars will be spent on Wednesday’s celebration of Los Angeles taxpayers can enjoy today’s victory parade for the newly minted NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers without worrying about the bill.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Monday that private donors have pledged to pay the estimated $900,000 cost of providing police and fire protection and city street services for the celebration, ensuring that no tax dollars will be necessary.
The cost of the parade created a dispute at City Hall over the weekend, with some City Council members and public employee union leaders saying they opposed using public money when Los Angeles faces its worst fiscal crisis in decades. The city plans to lay off 1,200 employees and furlough those who remain.
A defensive Villaraigosa said a group of generous donors, the Lakers and the owner of the Staples Center agreed to pick up virtually all costs. Villaraigosa said the Lakers’ celebration is needed more than ever, providing something to cheer for when Los Angeles is squeezed by high unemployment, home foreclosures and tough economic times.
“We’re going to come together as a city,” Villaraigosa said. “The reason why so many people from the private sector came forward is because they know this town deserves to revel in itself for a day. We need it.”
Continue reading ”Business leaders pick up tab for Lakers parade”
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As the fans start to get prepared for tomorrow’s Championship Parade, the team and city are hard at work getting everything set up.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will house the parade stage, and 92,000 Lakers fans. Wondering what the stage will look like? Here are some photos courtesy of the USC Trojans.
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