2020 Lakers May Still Get Championship Parade, Suggests Jeanie Buss

Los Angeles' most recent title team never got its moment to celebrate with fans.

May 12, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Los Angeles Lakers 2020 champions banner is revealed before the game against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers' 17th and most recent championship team never got its moment to celebrate with fans.

After winning the 2020 title against the Miami Heat, the Lakers were unable to commemorate the moment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Crowds were not allowed to gather prior to the mass distribution of vaccines at that point in time.

During a recent episode of his podcast "Across The Rim With D12," eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard (a back-up on that title squad) spoke with Los Angeles majority owner Jeanie Buss about the possibility of rectifying that in the future.

"Well what can we do to get a parade? 'Cause I think we got so many players that [have] stopped playing basketball since and retired. Danny Green just retired, and he was on that team," Howard said. Former four-time All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, a clutch sixth man in 2020, has also hung up his sneakers and is now serving as a coaching consultant with the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Well don’t rule it out. Maybe someday. Someday something will make sense. So, I’ll never close the door 100 percent. Something will make sense. We’ll see. You guys deserved it,” Buss said.

"We deserve that moment," Howard agreed.

Howard, 38, has yet to retire, although he hasn't played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season, his third non-consecutive run with the Lakers. He most recently suited up for the Taiwan Mustangs of The Asian Tournament (TAT) this summer. The 6-foot-10 big man, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, is a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer — as are his former Lakers teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

James, who at 39 remains the league's oldest active player, and 31-year-old Davis are still among the best players in the league, though the Lakers' title odds are looking fairly slim in 2024-25. Los Angeles is bringing back mostly the same squad that finished with a decent 47-35 record and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Serious defensive wing and perimeter shortcomings, plus questions about center depth (Howard at this stage lacks the athletic upside to be worth the hire), have yet to be properly addresed by team vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka, who replaced departed free agents Spencer Dinwiddie and Taurean Prince with rookie draft picks Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, LeBron's eldest son. In a loaded Western Conference, the Lakers can hardly afford to stay static.

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