Congrats to the Lakers for the 2009 NBA Championship

[Laker-fan-in-SanAnto]

2008 NBA Finals - Los Angeles Lakers - #24 Kobe Bryant - Purple Game-Worn JerseyCurrent Bid: $ 19,040.00 [ChannelingtheTruth]
Number of Bids47 (Bid History)Quan y Available: 1 Bid Increment:$ 20.00 Opening Bid:$ 350.00Listing Type:Open AuctionListing Number:95196278Open Date:06/05/2008 21:07 ESTClose Date:06/24/2008 21:59 EST (or later) Move Mouse Over Image to View LargerWelcome to the NBA and MeiGray Group Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program.

The NBA and MeiGray Group Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program is proud to offer fans and collectors across the globe the opportunity to own a piece of history … the Los Angeles Lakers jersey worn by #24 Kobe Bryant in Game 1 and Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

This jersey will be on display at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue and West 52nd Street in Manhattan beginning Monday, June 9.

Bryant wore this jersey, adorned with the NBA Finals Trophy Patch, on Thursday, June 5 and Sunday June 8, when the Western Conference champion Lakers faced the Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics in Game 1 and Game 2 at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Bryant scored 24 points and registered 6 assists and 3 rebounds in Game 1. He scored 30 points with 8 assists and 4 rebounds in Game 2.






If they auction the NBA Finals jerseys, I wonder how much Kobe's is gonna go for this year!

[duncan228]

Thousands gather for Lakers victory parade

Tens of thousands of basketball fans descended on downtown Los Angeles as the city saluted its NBA Championship-winning Lakers at a victory parade.

Several hundred police officers were out in force for the presentation, which began at the Lakers' Staples Center before finishing with a rally in front of around 80,000 fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Large crowds of fans dressed in the Lakers' purple and gold colors lined the parade route while the Coliseum, venue for the 1984 Olympic Games, packed out roughly an hour before a victory rally got underway.

"Thank you so much to all the fans," Lakers guard Derek Fisher shouted to the crowd just before the parade began near Staples Center. "Thank you for the support this year, baby. We love you. Let's go Lakers!"

Kobe Bryant, the championship series MVP, hoisted the NBA championship trophy as he sat atop one of the double-decker buses carrying the team.

Bryant told fans at the Coliseum he hoped the victory would be the first of a new era for the Lakers.

"We have a young team, you know, a team that has a lot of chemistry and we're all hungry," Bryant told the crowd.

"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 parade came after the Lakers clinched the NBA finals series 4-1 on Sunday with a victory over the Orlando Magic in Florida.

Sunday's triumph triggered ugly scenes near the Staples Center, with a small number of fans starting fires, smashing cars, looting stores and hurling missiles at police officers, leading to 18 arrests.

Los Angeles Police Department chief William Bratton had warned before Wednesday's parade troublemakers would meet with a "zero tolerance" approach.

"If you come in and you're drinking, you're drunk and you're misbehaving, you're going to be arrested," he said.

An LAPD spokesman said Wednesday "several people" had been arrested for throwing objects at officers as they tried to force their way into the Coliseum.

Despite complaints over the two-million-dollar bill for the parade, the cost to the city had been reduced after donations of around 850,000 dollars by wealthy individuals in Los Angeles, local media reported.

The Lakers and the owners of the Staples Center had contributed another one million to the cost.

[LakeShow]

Just came back from the parade area. That was so packed. I almost didn't get a seat. Too many Mexicans there. We almost got in a fight. It was fun. I loved how everyone booed Sasha, though.

Angelenos, dawg. It was all good!

[lefty]

Even without their purple unis on, Lakers look pretty gay

[Showtime24 LAKERS]

http://usctrojans.cstv.com/blog/asse...akerspan2.html

^ that place was packed !!

[IronMexican]

I really wish I had another pic of that girls ties. It's all I can think about now.

[Laker-fan-in-SanAnto]

I really wish I had another pic of that girls ties. It's all I can think about now.

You have a long summer to think about it

[The Gemini Method]

Spent yesterday in the glory of the Lakers' Coliseum rally and the sun! Man, we were entrenched amongst a good amount of eses and really beautiful Latina girls, so it didn't really mattered. I think we were the only non-Latinos in our section, but we celebrated with all kinds of people and got a few boobie flashes since we also had the bottle of Patron and Goose being passed around...

[IronMexican]

Gemini, didn't it seem like 3 out of every 5 people were bald headed Mexicans?

[The Gemini Method]

Gemini, didn't it seem like 3 out of every 5 people were bald headed Mexicans?

I would agree with you that 3 out of 5 were bald Mexicans and/or their girls and children in tow. They were, for the most part, well behaved in our section. Only when we left and were making our way past USC and down Figueroa did a few gang situations arise and some woofing and idiocy begun to show colors. However, the LAPD did step in before any senseless actions went down.

But damn, some of the Latinas were damn smoking and realllll friendly...

[IronMexican]

I would agree with you that 3 out of 5 were bald Mexicans and/or their girls and children in tow. They were, for the most part, well behaved in our section. Only when we left and were making our way past USC and down Figueroa did a few gang situations arise and some woofing and idiocy begun to show colors. However, the LAPD did step in before any senseless actions went down.

But damn, some of the Latinas were damn smoking and realllll friendly...

Hahah, yeah. These ing guys that didn't even go the parade tried to start . It was me and my cousin vs some kids that looked 15 or some . They were like "Ey ese, this is my barrio". I was kind of like whatever.

[The Gemini Method]

Hahah, yeah. These ing guys that didn't even go the parade tried to start . It was me and my cousin vs some kids that looked 15 or some . They were like "Ey ese, this is my barrio". I was kind of like whatever.

Stupid man, that's the only bone of contention of I have with the so-called Lakers fans of today. I know it is part of the locale that some of the fans are going to be just plain re ed, but that is what it is.

The group starting yelling Barrio Positas and I think Mara Salvatrucha was the other group. I thought man, MS is no joke so I'm thinking we should kick back in the rear of the crowd until the whole thing settles down.

[duncan228]

LA Times today.

Kobe Bryant says (sort of) that he'll be back
Bryant could opt out of his Lakers contract and become a free agent, but he tells cheering fans at the Coliseum, 'This is my home. ... We'll be back next year, ready to go.'
By Mike Bresnahan

Three days after the championship, it was time for the celebration.

But for many Lakers fans, the biggest reward Wednesday was the strong hint dropped by Kobe Bryant.

Coming off his first MVP performance in the NBA Finals, Bryant exuberantly shared thoughts of his future among cheering fans at the Lakers' championship rally.

"Where am I going to go?" he said into a microphone when asked if he would stay with the Lakers. "This is my home."

Bryant was speaking in front of a packed crowd at the Coliseum, the end point for a celebratory parade that began Wednesday at 11:22 a.m. at Staples Center.

Bryant, 30, can become an unrestricted free agent next month by terminating his Lakers contract with two more years and $47.8 million on it. The 13-year veteran could then re-sign with the Lakers for five years and about $135 million.

"It's been a blast being here from '96 to now," he said to the crowd. "Here we are, back on top. This feels unbelievable. We have a young team, a team that has a lot of chemistry. We want to do this thing again and again. We'll be back next year, ready to go. We're going to keep on rolling."

Mercifully, Mark Madsen was not around to show off his dancing talents, though there were plenty of other events to remember Wednesday.

Players displayed a variety of emotions while riding in a caravan of double-decker buses to the Coliseum.

Bryant yelled out, extended his right arm and pounded his chest. Luke Walton smoked a cigar and relaxed with his girlfriend at his side. Derek Fisher might have been the most animated player, clapping his hands and raising his arms seemingly without pause on the slow two-mile ride that took almost an hour to complete.

When the Lakers arrived at the Coliseum, they gathered on the basketball court imported from Staples Center and placed in the end zone near the peristyle.

Coach Phil Jackson didn't take part in the bus caravan but waited quietly for the team to arrive while sitting in the back of a black SUV at the Coliseum. Lakers owner Jerry Buss did not attend the parade, as is his custom, choosing instead to watch it at home.

Fisher carried the championship trophy into the Coliseum as "I Love L.A." played in the background. When he got to the center of the court, Fisher raised the trophy above his head as the crowd roared.

Several players took turns addressing the crowd.

"This is the most fun that I've ever had on a winning team," Fisher said. "This is the best city in the world to be a champion. We're the champs. We're the best. Anybody want to do this again next year?"

Pau Gasol suggested that another victory parade would be in store a year from now.

"We're still hungry," he said. "We're not done yet. 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."

Walton, a six-year veteran who had lost in two previous trips to the Finals, reminded fans that his father, Bill, received one of his two championship rings with the Boston Celtics, the Lakers' longtime rival.

The kicker, supplied by Walton: "My ring is with a better franchise than his ring is with."

Walton also referred to a vision of the Lakers going into next season with "Coach Jackson coaching us."

Jackson, 63, is expected to return next season, though he did not divulge his plans Wednesday.

Etc.

A few minutes before the players arrived at the Coliseum, Lakers public-address announcer Lawrence Tanter asked the crowd to acknowledge longtime Lakers consultant Tex Winter and the lateplay-by-play announcer Chick Hearn. Winter is recovering from a stroke sustained two months ago. Hearn died in 2002, a couple of months after the Lakers won a third consecutive championship. . . . Bryant did not wear the white Adidas championship T-shirts worn by most of his teammates. Instead, he sported a dark shirt by Nike, decorated with a brown open palm (with four fingers) and rings on each finger, part of Nike's promotional "puppet" campaign. . . . The crowd booed when Lakers radio commentator Mychal Thompson mentioned that Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James won the regular-season MVP award. Thompson quickly said he knew Bryant would get a better award, the Finals MVP. Thompson then added, "Three more to pass those ugly Celtics."