As the Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season, the L.A. Rams were able to take some attention away by winning Super Bowl LVI and hoisting the Lombardi trophy. They join the Lakers and the L.A. Dodgers as the third L.A. team to win a championship in the last 18 months.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel — who was instrumental in their 2020 championship — was ecstatic to see another L.A.-based team take home the ultimate prize in their sport. The Rams went all-in by acquiring Matthew Stafford and a host of other elite players in exchange for future draft picks.
But when asked if the Rams winning the Super Bowl could serve as motivation for the Lakers, Vogel wasn’t so quick to make the connection. “I don’t know if it does anything for our spirits other than that we’re super happy for the Rams and Coach McVay, did a great job getting his group through to the finish line and on top,” Vogel said of the Rams. “Want to wish them congrats and I’m just happy for the fans of the city.
“They get to see the Lakers, Dodgers, Rams all win a championship in a short period of time, I don’t know if it was two years, three years, but super happy for the fans of our city and I think there’s always positivity to our group with what we want to accomplish this year.”
With the Rams scheduled to host a championship parade on Wednesday, Vogel expressed some regret about the Lakers not getting to experience a parade of their own. “Yeah, there’s a real void for me personally not having that experience. But a lot of people missed out on a lot more things in the pandemic than that, so I try to have some perspective.”
The Lakers and Dodgers both did not get to experience a championship parade due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. And while the pandemic is still ongoing, the city of L.A. believes the Rams can safely proceed with hosting a parade of their own.
Regardless, fans of the Lakers, Dodgers, and Rams can all rejoice at the incredible success their teams have had over the past two years, even if things aren’t going according to plan with the Lakers today.
LeBron James hints at joint championship parade
If it were up to LeBron James, the Lakers, Dodgers, and Rams would host a joint parade to celebrate the championships of all three teams. He suggested this via Twitter, advocating for a concert of some kind at the tail-end of the three-team parade.
Given the Rams’ parade is scheduled for Wednesday — a day in which the Lakers play — it’s unlikely this comes to fruition.
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