Jun 16, 2009 3:05 pm US/Pacific
L.A. Lakers, Staples Center To Host Parade
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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A Lakers celebratory parade was set for Wednesday to honor the NBA champions.
CBS
A parade and rally were scheduled for Wednesday to celebrate the Los Angeles Lakers' 2009 NBA championship win over the Orlando Magic.
The parade is scheduled to start at the STAPLES Center at Figueroa and 11th Street at 11 a.m. and will head south for about 2.5 miles to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
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here to be directed to a map of the parade route. For a list of street closures, click
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A victory celebration was also scheduled to be held in front of the Coliseum, with an expected crowd capacity of 95,000 fans. The Coliseum planned to offer free admission, with gates opening at 9:30 a.m. Officials urged fans to arrive early.
A special program with the Lakers players, coaches and others was expected at the Coliseum.
The Lakers beat the Orlando Magic 99-86 in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, taking the series four games to one.
A spokesman for the company that owns the Los Angeles Lakers' home court says a half-dozen private donors will pay at least some of the estimated $1 million in city costs for the team's victory parade.
Efforts to defray the financially strapped city's costs follow strong criticism of using public money for Wednesday's NBA championship celebration.
Michael Roth of AEG, the company that owns the Staples Center arena, said Tuesday that six private donors have agreed to cover some of the costs for things such as police overtime.
He won't identify the donors or say how much they're contributing until an afternoon news conference.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Monday that several hundred thousand dollars had been raised.
The city's costs include the use of police, fire and transportation department resources.
CBS 2/KCAL 9 will be your home for coverage of the Lakers' Championship Parade. KCAL 9 will begin its coverage Wednesday with a special edition of LTV starting at 10 a.m. and CBS 2's live coverage of the parade will start at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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