The Los Angeles Lakers may not be able to have a proper Las Vegas celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn't stop them from taking over the city anyway.
John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal got the scoop on the Lakers' weekend in Vegas, which featured the team renting out rooms at The Mansion at MGM Grand while buying out the restaurant and Encore Beach Club's dayclub for a celebration.
Videos of the Lakers arriving in Vegas and sneak peeks at their celebration appeared over the weekend, with the team taking special care to be masked up and distanced from the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lakers are not expected to have a championship parade or public celebration anytime soon due to the pandemic. Most of their basking in the glow off the franchise's 17th championship ring has had to be done in private, with the only glimpses coming via social media.
While Lakers players and staff deserve credit for continuing their safe celebrations after leaving the bubble, it provides another stark contrast in what's been a year defined by a new normal caused by the pandemic.
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