H. Res. 566 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
July 23, 2009. 
Whereas the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most success-
ful and respected franchises in the history of the Na-
tional 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 Chamber-
lain, 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;
•HRES 566 EH 
Whereas Ariza first came to fame as a member of the 2002 
and 2003 California State Championship teams at West-
chester 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 Den-
ver 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
•HRES 566 EH 
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 champion-
ships 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 Bry-
ant, 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 ros-
ter 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 Represent-
atives that— 
(1) the 2008–2009 National Basketball Association 
(NBA) World Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, are 
to be congratulated for an outstanding and historic sea-
son; and