LeBron James Says His Biggest Lakers Regret Is Missing the 2020 Championship Parade

LeBron James says one part of his Lakers tenure still bothers him years later: there was no traditional parade after the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship in the Orlando bubble. He raised the point on his Mind the Game podcast and gave the missed celebration a simple but emphatic rating.

Orlando bubble because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That bubble environment prevented customary championship celebrations in Los Angeles, including the parade that usually follows a title. Although the team won the franchise's 17th championship, the absence of a public celebration remains a personal sore point for LeBron.

LeBron left Los Angeles this offseason to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, concluding an eight-year run with the Lakers. He used the podcast to push back against the narrative that he came to Los Angeles to pursue Hollywood or off-court opportunities. He said he embraced the challenge of joining a historical franchise known for its championship expectations. Delivering a title for that franchise, he said, is something he will not forget.

The traditional parade is a public closure: a way for players, staff, and fans to share a championship moment in the city that the team represents. LeBron's insistence that the missed parade still bothers him, and his exaggerated '20' rating, underline how meaningful that communal recognition was to him personally and as part of fulfilling the Lakers' expectations.

LeBron has moved on to a new chapter with the Philadelphia 76ers. His comments about the missed parade are framed as a lingering regret rather than a grievance that alters his overall view of the Lakers period. He repeatedly spoke positively about representing the franchise and about the significance of winning a championship with that group for that city.

The headline takeaway is straightforward: despite accomplishing the main goal he set when joining the Lakers—winning a championship—LeBron regrets that the team and Los Angeles never got to celebrate that achievement with a parade because of pandemic restrictions. That missing moment remains emotionally significant to him even after leaving the franchise.