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The Los Angeles Lakers ended their decade-long championship drought with a dominant display against the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Sunday. Laker nation was so delighted with the win, that they literally took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles to celebrated the championship — all this despite the strict social distancing measures implemented by the city government.
Here are a few snaps of the celebrations courtesy of Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports:
Staples Center @USATODAY @usatodaysports pic.twitter.com/4oO115ycNK
— Harrison (@HarrisonHill) October 12, 2020
Fans still on Figueroa Street, now lighting fireworks pic.twitter.com/Kod2SVwAeC
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) October 12, 2020
To be fair, not everyone was in violation of COVID-19 protocols. A man was photographed inside a makeshift bubble, as he joined the celebrations in the streets:
There’s a person celebrating the Lakers win in a bubble pic.twitter.com/mH8lPP12ch
— Dan McQuade (@dhm) October 12, 2020
It’s certainly a great day to be a Lakers supporter right now, especially for those who stuck with the team during those dark years. Nevertheless, this is no excuse to violate the law.
The celebrations got so out of hand that L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti had to make an official statement via Twitter.
As we cheer our @Lakers’ 17th championship, please remember it's still not safe to gather in groups. Let’s honor our city's triumph by protecting others and making sure we don't spread the virus.
Please celebrate safely at home. Do not gather at Staples Center. Thank you!
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) October 12, 2020
TMZ Sports also reports that as the crowds got rowdy, a total of 67 people were arrested for various violations. Below are some clips from the streets:
LAPD declares unlawful assembly near Staples Center as massive crowd celebrates #LakersWin. LAPD tells @knx1070 they have not used pepper balls, gas, to try and disperse crowd. At least one fight has broken out. People are injured. Video used with permission from IG @buffalo_baff pic.twitter.com/2L7RYza1Xk
— Emily Valdez, KNX News Reporter (@EmilyValdezKNX) October 12, 2020
#NOW: Lakers fans are getting rowdy in downtown LA as they celebrate the big win. @abc7chriscristi is overhead and we are live on @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/eC7fpY551D
— Veronica Miracle (@vmiracleCNN) October 12, 2020
It’s clear that most of the fans that took to the streets were in violation of the strict social distancing measures required to stop the spread of the virus. While some of them were wearing protective masks, most of them were in close contact with each other.
This is definitely a great triumph for both the organization and the city, but the last thing the Lakers want is to promote the further spread of the virus. For everyone’s sake, we just hope that the citizens of Los Angeles heed the call of the good mayor, and hold off all public celebrations until further notice.