The stars will be out for Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat on Wednesday night. At least, they will be virtually, with Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar just some of the NBA luminaries who will be in attendance as virtual fans, per TMZ.
O’Neal, of course, won four championships in his career, with three coming as a member of the Lakers and another with the Heat. Abdul-Jabbar, meanwhile, finished his career as a six-time champion, with five titles won with the Purple and Gold during the 1980s. Wade, who retired at the end of last season, won three championships with the Heat.
Other former players who are expected to watch Game 1 of the NBA Finals as virtual fans are former Laker James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, Bill Walton, Julius Erving, Robert Parish, and Clyde Drexler. Aside from Wade, recently retired players who will watch the game include Dirk Nowitzki and Manu Ginobili.
Aside from the legendary players, the report states that the virtual fans will also include 40 first-time poll workers who were identified by Lakers forward LeBron James for his “More Than A Vote” campaign to convince more people to register for the upcoming elections.
Adding virtual fans was the NBA’s idea of allowing people to still be a part of the games even if they are played inside the bubble due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There have been previous sightings of former players watching the games virtually and cheering for their teams.
Fittingly, the NBA is welcoming league royalty once the NBA Finals tip off on Wednesday. The Lakers are the heavy favorite in these Finals, but the Heat should make things interesting and will look to shock Los Angeles out of the gate in this series.
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