After winning the NBA Finals in 2000, Laker fans wanted to celebrate their first championship in 12 years. They decided to take to the streets. Police on foot and horseback were called in to disperse rioters, using batons and rubber bullets because they were using bottles as projectiles towards police and lit fires on the streets using pedestrians cars and police vehicles. Vandals smashed shop windows, looted stores, and damaged cars at a car dealership nearby the Staples Center. 20,000 fans and members of both teams were trapped inside the Staples Center after the game for their safety.
"This takes away from what happened here tonight," Magic Johnson said of the riots.
"There was glory tonight and there was sadness," Mayor Richard Riodan added.
Are you kidding me? The franchise that has won the second most titles in NBA history has a fan base that acts similar to what Chicago Cubs fans will act like when they win a World Series (in the next few years hopefully). Act like you have been there before people. Be excited about the success of your team but do it responsibly. Peoples' lives were changed because of a basketball game. Childish fans committing childish acts ruin the experience for many people. Thankfully nobody died in the incident. It is barely understandable for fans to act this way if they have waited over an extended period of time for a championship but for this fan bases to commit these acts is unacceptable. The sad thing is, there were multiple reports of the same thing happening during the Lakers 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010 championship performances.
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