Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Kalbrosky

Sorry, LeBron, but now isn’t the best time for the Lakers to host a parade with the Rams and Dodgers

With a Super Bowl victory, the Rams joined the Dodgers and the Lakers as the third major professional sports team from Los Angeles to win a title since COVID-19 began.

Unfortunately, due to the ongoing pandemic, the Lakers were not able to host a championship parade after their title in 2020. Similarly, the Dodgers were also restricted from such festivities after their World Series victory.

Now that cases are a bit lower than they were when the Lakers and Dodgers won their respective titles in 2020, the Rams are having a much easier time planning their Super Bowl parade. It is scheduled for Wednesday.

Lakers superstar LeBron James, who was seen enjoying his time at the Super Bowl while at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, had a slightly different idea.

James, who led the Lakers to their 17th championship and the first in more than a decade, suggested that the Rams collaborate with the Lakers and the Dodgers for a “joint parade” with a “live concert” afterward.

One reason this is particularly exciting: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and longtime Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw are childhood friends who grew up together in Texas.

Justin Turner, who was on the Dodgers team that won the World Series, also shared a similar idea shortly after the Rams victory. He noted that the players on the Dodgers were in the midst of a lockout and had plenty of time to spare until an agreement is reached between the MLB and the MLBPA.

Speaking from the perspective of someone who was born and raised in Los Angeles, as a little kid, nothing would have sounded more fun than a parade celebrating titles for three major championships at the same time.

However, fun as it may sound, this is a fully absurd suggestion from LeBron. You cannot have a parade when you have already been dethroned by another team and the Milwaukee Bucks have already done exatly that.

While it is obviously frustrating that Lakers fans never got to experience a parade after the championship in 2020, now is not the time to rectify that lost experience unless he is able to lead his team to win the NBA title in 2022.

Based on how the team has played so far this season, though, that seems incredibly unlikely. The Lakers are currently five games below .500 and they have a losing record on the season.

They are 20.5 games back of the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference and if the season ended today, they would have to win two games in the play-in tournament to even make the postseason.

For the Lakers, this is a season marred by poor roster construction and a lack of cohesion on the court. Barring something wildly unforeseen happening, it is not a season that should have a parade.

Those celebrations are saved for winning seasons and celebrating whatever exactly this year has been for the Purple and Gold would feel nothing short of tremendously awkward.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.