Lakers Could Remove NBA Cup Banner After Knicks Decide Against Display
lakers-may-remove-nba-cup-banner-after-knicks-decision
The Los Angeles Lakers may soon take down the Emirates NBA Cup banner that has hung in Crypto.com Arena since the club captured the inaugural tournament in 2023, NBA insider Chris Haynes said on SiriusXM NBA Radio.
Haynes indicated that the organization never wanted a separate banner but complied when the league encouraged it. The Lakers traditionally reserve their rafters for NBA championship pennants only.
Los Angeles installed the white banner after defeating the Indiana Pacers for the first Cup title, a run that also produced LeBron James as the tournament’s first Most Valuable Player. The Milwaukee Bucks followed suit by raising their own banner after winning the second edition in 2024.
The 2025 champion New York Knicks are taking a different approach. Multiple reports say the Knicks will acknowledge their Cup victory with a pre-game ceremony at Madison Square Garden but will not add a banner. Haynes believes that stance could prompt the Lakers to pull theirs down as well.
“They didn’t want to put it up,” Haynes said of Los Angeles. “Now that the Knicks are holding this stance, the Lakers will be like, ‘Listen, we didn’t want it either…let’s take it down.’”
Even without a repeat championship, the Lakers received individual recognition this season in the tournament. Guard Luka Dončić earned a spot on the Emirates NBA Cup All-Tournament Team for his performances during Cup play.
The Lakers have not publicly commented on whether they will remove the banner or leave it in place.
Source: Lakers Nation
