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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 Lakers‘ home games will be held without fans until further notice for the 2020-21 season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 12, 2020
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.