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Lakers will not have fans at home games until further notice in 2020-21

The defending champions aren’t going to risk having fans in the stands to start the season on Dec. 22.

By Benjamin Zweiman Updated
Fans gather behind barricades surrounding the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on October 9, 2020 ahead of game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. - Staples Center, home of the Lakers, has announced the facility will not televise Game 5 or hold any potential postgame celebrations for this year’s final due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers will start their title defense on Dec. 22. It’s unclear if they’ll open the season that night, but if they do and it’s at home, there won’t be any fans there to celebrate the championship initially. The Lakers are not allowing fans at Staples Center in the 2020-21 season until further notice.

The NBA announced that fans in arenas will depend on the location and what the states mandate. So with Los Angeles having issues with the Covid-19 pandemic — like most of the country — the Lakers won’t have fans to begin the season. Teams have been given the green light to allow 25-50 percent capacity in team suites, which again, will depend on the infection rate in the county of the arena.

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