[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10731]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              SALUTING THE NBA CHAMPION LOS ANGELES LAKERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute the victorious world 
champion Los Angeles Lakers from my congressional district. It is 
challenging enough to win the championship title once, and it is 
extremely rare to repeat and win the title a second time. Nevertheless, 
the world champion Lakers have in fact three-peated by sweeping our 
friends, the New Jersey Nets, in the 2002 NBA finals and winning the 
title for 3 consecutive years.
  In all of NBA history, only three teams have achieved this feat, 
including, of course, the Minneapolis Lakers. I extend my special 
congratulations to Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and the most valuable 
player for the third year in a row, Shaquille O'Neill, for their 
impressive accomplishment.

                              {time}  1500

  No one alone can achieve this ``triple crown'' of excellence in 
basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers' victory was a triple team effort 
consisting first of the talented players themselves; second, the coach 
and management staff; and third, the Lakers' fans in Los Angeles and 
across the Nation.
  Today the Lakers' sweet taste of victory brings with it the sweet 
taste of New Jersey Italian treats: cannoli and biscotti. My colleague, 
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Rothman), wagered these treats 
against my Los Angeles wager of tamales, guacamole and salsa. Today he 
delivered the fruits of the Lakers' victory. I congratulate the Nets, 
their fans, and their coach, Byron Scott, who, by the way, is a Los 
Angeles native and former Laker himself, for their valiant effort.
  Angelenos, it is time to make room in the rafters of the Los Angeles 
Staples Center for yet another banner. The Lakers are NBA world 
champions again.
  Mr. Speaker, next year I look forward to cheering for the Lakers to 
``four-peat'' or, in the words of Coach Jackson, the ``four-sweep.''

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