|
First the Los
Angeles Lakers were forced to skip a championship parade and now
they are asking their fans to wait even longer for an
up-close-and-personal gathering.
The defending NBA champions announced Wednesday that they will
start the 2020-21 season without fans at their home arena,
Staples Center, and then assess the situation as the season
progresses.
The Lakers said the decision was made with more than a month
remaining before the season after guidance from state of
California leaders, as well as local health officials.
The team's official stance is that games will be held without
fans "until further notice."
"The health and safety of our fans, players, staff and community
are our main priority and we will continue to work with state
and local officials to come up with a plan to safely welcome
fans back to Staples Center in the adherence with local, state
and NBA guidelines," the team said in a release.
The NBA officially agreed this week on a Dec. 22 start to the
upcoming season that will include 72 games, 10 less than usual.
An NBA season typically starts in October but is being pushed
back this year because of delays created last season as a result
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The just-concluded season was paused in March, resumed in late
July in a "bubble" environment near Orlando and the Lakers came
away with the title on early October with a NBA Finals victory
over the Miami Heat.
The Lakers' announcement seemed to suggest the team will wait to
raise its most recent championship banner until fans can attend
home games.
"We appreciate your continued support and look forward to coming
together, when it is safe to do so, to celebrate the raising of
our banner and the quest for another NBA championship," the team
said.
--Field Level Media
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
