Seeing Kobe Bryant smile is worth it all for some Lakers fans [Updated]
As the Lakers' victory parade ended about 12:20 p.m., police estimated the size of the mostly orderly crowd at more than 65,000 and said there were nine arrests for fighting and disturbing the peace.
Out in the crowd, the sound was deafening, with many hollering "Kobe," "MVP" and "L.A.!" Some men burst into tears.
Kayla Brown, a student at Pepperdine, shouted, "Kobe, I love you."
Minutes later, after the parade buses passed, she turned to her friends and said, "Oh, my God, I'm still shaking," then immediately began scrolling through her cellphone to see what photos she had been able to take. She was thrilled to see she had gotten a close-up of Kobe Bryant.
She added: "Now we have to go sit in traffic for hours, but it was well worth it."
Isaiah Tellez, 12 and his step-brother Daniel Saulcedo, 11, both of Whittier, were leaning against the guardrail with expressions of wonder and disbelief on their faces at actually seeing the players in the flesh.
Pierce Nemore, 18, said he was surprised by how many people turned out.
"Seems like there are a billion Lakers fans," he said.
Gabriel Graciano, 28, of Baldwin Park said he wished there had been more festivities to keep the fans busy before the parade started.
"I thought it was pretty cool," he said of the parade. "But we need more music or entertainment. We were out here for about four hours."
After the buses went by, Alphonso Sierra of Montebello dismantled a tent he had built to shelter about 25 family members from the sun as they waited for the parade.
"Now, back to reality," he said.
[Updated at 1 p.m.: Two children, Alan Sandoval, 10, and Donald Porter, 8, were separated from their parents during the parade and were still missing at 1 p.m., police said.]
-- Jessica Garrison, Esmeralda Bermudez, Gale Holland, Sam Allen, Alexandra Zavis and Richard Winton
Photo: Aerial view of the Lakers team float making its way down Figueroa during today's victory parade. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times.
EDITOR'S PICKS:
Seeing Kobe smile is not worth it all for the woman he raped. Allegedly.
Posted by: kyle | June 21, 2010 at 01:27 PM
Do none of these people have jobs? Who can call in to work and take off half a day for a parade?!
Posted by: RRW | June 21, 2010 at 01:30 PM
Geez! First two comments... bitter guys? Lighten up....
Posted by: Ron | June 21, 2010 at 01:53 PM
Sad, how sad it is that people thought there were a billion people in downtown parade. It was expected to have about a million and only 65 thousand showed up. Hahaha. Atleast the Lakers picked up the tab and the tax payers are not complaining about this one. Then again, the LA Laker fans that mostly attended were school kids that were off from school and those jobless laker fans.
Posted by: vochoa0371 | June 21, 2010 at 01:53 PM
Wow. LOL What's with the Debbie Downer comments? I'm thrilled to see Kobe's big smile and love to hear all the thanks he's giving to the fans! Thank YOU Kobe!!
Posted by: NJinHB | June 21, 2010 at 01:55 PM
@RRW
You've never taken a single day of PTO as a "sick day"? Also, this is Los Angeles we're talking about. A lot of people don't even work 9 to 5 jobs, especially if you are in entertainment industry.
Posted by: Jesse | June 21, 2010 at 02:14 PM
Why do people post hate on the message boards? Kobe a rapist (even though the "victim" had multiple semen samples on her panties), Lakers fan with no jobs (ever heard of vacation time, a recession or perhaps calling in sick?)
All I got to say is the haters keep hating, as there's many more years to come of Laker parade and joy, for those of us with an ounce of fun in our lives.
Posted by: Gaucho420 | June 21, 2010 at 02:14 PM
The throngs of the unemployed.
Posted by: Frequent Visitor | June 21, 2010 at 02:17 PM
Kobe=CREEP!!!
Posted by: LongBeach | June 21, 2010 at 02:21 PM
quit hating LA for loving our team!! goooo lakers!!
Posted by: lvn119 | June 21, 2010 at 02:30 PM
I bet those fans lining the parade route were mostly white-collared office execs who work in downtown Financial District, who only showed up during their lunch break.
Posted by: Wolfy | June 21, 2010 at 02:39 PM
Leave Kobe and them Laker Fans alone. Haters!!!
Posted by: occhick | June 21, 2010 at 02:41 PM
People need to lighten up? Stop being Debbie Downers? The comments are here are mind bogling. Fanatical sports fans will continue to amaze me.
I love it, the guy is most probably a rapist and Laker fans will tell others to "lighten up" about it because they want to enjoy a parade. I guess being good at sports is a blanket excuse to do whatever the hell you want is this country with no repurcussions.
I wonder - if Kobe was just some bench player who only scored a couple of points a game, would Laker fans still be ready to apologize for him? Would they still be so sure of his innocence if he wasn't such a good player?
Posted by: Ryan | June 21, 2010 at 02:46 PM
If only they put all that money and man power to good use... More power to them, but join the working world and do something to leave the world in a better place, rather than spending 1.5 million to trot down the street on a semi truck.. that is not a parade.. it is a drive by.
Posted by: Jim | June 21, 2010 at 02:46 PM
You guys can every bad things about Kobe, but he is laughing all the way to the bank. Kaching! Lakers #1. 3 for 3 guys next year 2011!!!
Posted by: KobeFan | June 21, 2010 at 02:47 PM
How sad that we live in a world where over paid, spoiled athletes are who we admire. Even sadder that the tickets to see the Lakers play are priced so high that most fans cannot even afford to attend a live game. If we were giving a parade for returning soldiers from Iraq, how many of these people that took time off and made the trek just to "see Kobe smile" would do the same to honor our real heroes. I would guess none.
Posted by: Marla | June 21, 2010 at 02:53 PM
poor haters....i know its tough to stomach that the team in the city you live in won a major sports championship...but lighten up...i am sure kobe had a big smile because he shut all you laker haters up with our 2nd straight title...and 5th this decade...celtics blow and haters beware...we are going for a 3peat!!!!
Posted by: Brad | June 21, 2010 at 03:14 PM
I really don't care that Kobe smiled.
Posted by: common | June 21, 2010 at 03:18 PM
Yay Lakers! Yay Kobe!Our MVP for sure! People need to get over the past, and move on with their lives! Geezz! Agree with Gaucho 420, well said!! 3 peat next year, and another parade, just has to be! I love LA!
Posted by: J French | June 21, 2010 at 03:19 PM
Haters = sour grapes that your teams are perennial losers
Posted by: Jack | June 21, 2010 at 03:19 PM
I sure as heck wouldn't waste a PTO/sick day watching these over-paid clowns cruise by on some bus, only catching a glimpse of them for like 30 seconds. These people need to get a life.
Posted by: Maury | June 21, 2010 at 03:26 PM
The headline should have read; "65,000 sheep crowd downtown LA to bow down to their millionaire masters."
Posted by: Viva Arizona | June 21, 2010 at 03:32 PM
CELTICS FANS TALKING RIGHT THERE. haha. hey sore losers, stop the hate talk. just admit that no one can beat the lakers. And don't mock on jobless people, you might be jobless pretty soon.
Posted by: prideless celtic | June 21, 2010 at 03:34 PM
I would be glad to take off work for a parade honoring single moms who got a degree, homeless kids that finished high school, dads who find time to volunteer to help needy kids etc.
It's just sports. Once the game is over it doesn't matter.
Posted by: keith Krupp | June 21, 2010 at 03:41 PM
in the end lakers won and thats all that matters! celtis..nope, le bron...nope, carmelo...nope, wade..nope! kobe bryant....thats right! five times champion!
Posted by: wilmer | June 21, 2010 at 03:46 PM