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Moment of Celebration: The best Los Angeles Lakers parade highlights

By Austin Connolly

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Shaquille O'Neal speaks next to the NBA championship trophy at the end of the Los Angeles Lakers victory parade through downtown Los Angeles 21 June 2000. About 200,000 fans lined the streets to cheer on the Lakers NBA 2000 championship. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/VINCE BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Shaquille O'Neal speaks next to the NBA championship trophy at the end of the Los Angeles Lakers victory parade through downtown Los Angeles 21 June 2000. About 200,000 fans lined the streets to cheer on the Lakers NBA 2000 championship. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO/VINCE BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images) /
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(Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. Kobe Bryant 2009 Parade “Where Am I Gonna Go? It’s My Home!”

Back in 2009, our beloved Kobe Bryant was alive, well, and fresh off an NBA Championship and his first Finals MVP Award. However, many forget that Kobe had a foot out the door and even demanded a trade back in 2007.

After winning three titles with Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe and the Lakers lost in five games to the Detroit Pistons in 2004. Kobe had been with the Lakers since he was drafted out of high school at age seventeen, but his confidence in the front office was wavering.

This loss to the underdog Pistons was the nail in the coffin for the tumultuous relationship between Kobe and Shaq. That offseason, The Lakers dealt Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and a few other pieces.

Things worked out for Shaq as he captured a title with Dwayne Wade in 2006. For Kobe, things were a lot less enjoyable.

Without Shaq, Kobe was forced to carry a Laker team that lacked the talent to win in the Western Conference. Although Kobe played some of the best basketball of his career from 2005-2008, his efforts were not synonymous with the winning he and the Lakers had been accustomed to.

In 2015, Kobe Bryant confirmed these trade talks were very real. His desired target? The Chicago Bulls.

This finally woke up the Laker front office. During the 2007-2008 season, the Lakers landed star forward Pau Gasol in a trade with the Grizzlies. From there, the Lakers rattled off three straight finals appearances and two titles.

After a tough loss to the Celtics in 2008, the Lakers rallied around Bryant and Gasol and won the first of their back-to-back titles in 2009. That brings us to parade day.

When told “You’re not going anywhere!” by Laker announcer Stu Lantz, Kobe responded “Where am I going to go? This is my home.”

More than a decade later, it’s hard to imagine a time where Los Angeles wasn’t Kobe’s home. After his tragic death this year, the city responded with beautiful vigils and murals in honor of both Kobe and his daughter Gianna.

What’s now undeniable was once very uncertain. This moment in 2009 serves as the crowning symbol of Kobe’s lifelong relationship with the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles.

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