Tens of thousands of jubilant Los Angeles Lakers fans flooded downtown to celebrate the storied franchise’s 15th NBA title with a high-energy parade and rally paid for by the city’s movers and shakers on Wednesday.
People clad in the team colors stood 20 or more deep along the 4km parade route from Staples Center to the packed Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where players were greeted with a thunderous ovation and showered with purple and gold confetti.
After the rally, fans briefly danced arm-in-arm as the Randy Newman song I Love LA blared over loudspeakers.
Crowds at the stadium and along the parade route were rambunctious but mostly well-mannered, in contrast to the melee that broke out downtown after the Lakers clinched the championship in Florida. Eighteen people were arrested.
Police said there were only five arrests on Wednesday. They had no immediate details, but one rowdy celebrant was seen being led out of the Coliseum in handcuffs before the team arrived.
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