H. Res. 566 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 23, 2009. 

Whereas the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most successful and respected franchises in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA); 

Whereas prior to the 2008–2009 season, the Lakers won 14 

NBA championships, with a cast of players that, over the 

years, have included NBA greats such as Wilt Chamberlain, Earvin ‘‘Magic’’ Johnson, Jr., James Worthy, 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Cooper, 

Elgin Baylor, A.C. Green, and other Lakers stars, whose 

accomplishments were captured courtside by legendary 

Lakers sportscaster Francis Dayle ‘‘Chick/Chicky Baby’’ 

Hearn; 

Whereas in the off-season, the Lakers’ General Manager, 

Mitch Kupchak, with the support of the team’s owner, 

Jerry Buss, maintained the Lakers core of Kobe Bryant, 

Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, and Trevor 

Ariza; 

Whereas the combination of Bryant, Odom, Fisher, Gasol, 

and Ariza, led the 2008–2009 Lakers to a 65–17 regular 

season record and the number one spot in the Western 

Conference playoffs; 
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Whereas Ariza first came to fame as a member of the 2002 

and 2003 California State Championship teams at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California; 

Whereas the Lakers entered the NBA playoffs with home 

court advantage as a result of the team’s regular season 

performance and defeated the Utah Jazz in 5 games; 

Whereas the Lakers then faced the Houston Rockets in the 

Western Conference semifinals, winning in 7 games, with 

Pau Gasol scoring 21 points in an 89–70 victory in the 

deciding game; 

Whereas the Lakers squared off against the high-octane Denver Nuggets, clinching the series in 6 games, thanks to 

the outstanding play of Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant; 

Whereas the Lakers’ matchup with the Orlando Magic in the 

NBA finals represented a battle between a veteran team, 

the Lakers, and a young Magic team, led by Dwight 

Howard; 

Whereas the Lakers won the first 2 games of the finals in 

Los Angeles, including a hard-fought Game 2, during 

which Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol combined for 53 

points, propelling the Lakers to a 101–96 victory; 

Whereas although the Lakers lost Game 3 in Orlando by a 

score of 108–104, NBA fans were treated to a 31-point 

performance by Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who played 

all but 8 minutes of the game; 

Whereas the Lakers were able to defeat the Magic in Game 

4 despite a 25-point performance by Magic forward Hedo 

Turkoglu; 

Whereas the Lakers won Game 5 against the Magic by a 

final score of 99–86, clinching a historic championship, 

Kobe Bryant’s first championship without Shaquille 
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O’Neal, Head Coach Phil Jackson’s 10th title as a coach, 

and the Lakers organization’s 15th championship; 

Whereas the Lakers recovered from a devastating loss in the 

2008 NBA finals against the Boston Celtics to win the 

2009 NBA championship and achieve historic championships for Head Coach Phil Jackson, and Kobe Bryant; 

Whereas the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was presented with the 

Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award; 

Whereas in addition to the contributions of superstars Bryant, Gasol, and Odom, strong contributions by Ariza, 

Brown, Farmar, Ilunga-Mbenga, Bynum, Fisher, Powell, 

Vujacic, and Walton returned the glory that has marked 

much of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise history; 

Whereas Lakers owner Jerry Buss, General Manager Mitch 

Kupchak, Head Coach Phil Jackson, and the entire roster and coaching staff have joined previous great Lakers 

teams in winning the NBA championship; and 

Whereas the hustle, team defense, and overall unselfish play 

of the 2008–2009 Lakers are emblematic of the tradition 

that has been a hallmark of the franchise for more than 

63 years, and serves as a model for coaches and players 

everywhere: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— 

(1) the 2008–2009 National Basketball Association 

(NBA) World Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, are 

to be congratulated for an outstanding and historic season; and 
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(2) the Lakers, in winning their 15th NBA World 

Championship, capped a remarkable, unprecedented single-season turnaround that captivated basketball fans 

across America and around the world. 

Attest: 

Clerk.