LeBron James still hasn’t let go of the one thing the 2020 Lakers never got: the parade.
On Friday’s episode of “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash, James was asked how much it still bothered him that Los Angeles never got to celebrate its championship with fans in the streets. His answer came fast and with no hesitation.
“That bothers me, one to 10, 20,” James said. “Just to be able to celebrate with the Laker faithful.
He pictured what that day might have looked like, imagining a route down Olympic Boulevard toward downtown and the arena he still refers to as Staples Center. He was describing the celebration he had in mind, not an official parade plan.
The conversation was part of a wider discussion about the pressure and expectations that come with wearing a Lakers uniform. But the heart of James’ frustration was simple: the team won the title, and the public celebration never happened.
Los Angeles closed out Miami 106-93 in Game 6 to claim the franchise’s 17th championship. James was brilliant throughout the Finals, putting up 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.
The Lakers rolled through the postseason at 16-5, knocking out Portland, Houston and Denver in five games each. On the court, the job was finished.
What the team never got was the chance to share that finish with the city in the usual way. Pandemic restrictions on large gatherings blocked any immediate parade, leaving the title without the kind of public celebration players and fans normally expect.
The team did eventually get a ring ceremony at Staples Center on Dec. 22, 2020, but there were no fans in the building. The banner was raised later, on May 12, 2021, with about 4,000 fans in attendance.
The Lakers’ official video from that night showed how carefully the organization handled the moment. Jeanie Buss explained why the team waited until supporters could be there.
“Our banners have always been about our fans,” Buss said.
James then stepped to the microphone and made the distinction clear.
“We made sure we saved the banner for y’all,” James said.
Anthony Davis also addressed the crowd, thanking fans for their support both before the season stopped and through the virtual screens during the bubble.
That ceremony gave the Lakers at least part of the celebration they had been denied earlier. It put the team and its supporters in the same building to mark the championship together, even if the parade James had imagined still never happened.
His disappointment about that has not faded.
“I already know what we missed and, more importantly, I feel bad for my teammates who won their first championship and what they missed,” James said in 2022. “… The parade is like, it’s really a culmination of everything. You really get to rejoice and celebrate with the fans in a more intimate setting, so I feel bad for, like, my teammates who didn’t get the opportunity to have that feeling - I’ve done it three times.”
That sentiment gives Friday’s comments extra weight. Not every championship feels the same to every player, and for some of James’ teammates, the missing parade meant missing their first real taste of that kind of victory celebration.
The Lakers are still giving that 2020 run a place in the calendar. The team has a 2020 championship replica ring giveaway planned for Jan. 24, another chance to look back on a title that came with one big piece missing.
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