Congressional Record—House H8465
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July 21, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H8465 CONGRATULATING NBA CHAMPION championship and achieve historic cham- Madam Speaker, the Los Angeles LOS ANGELES LAKERS pionships for Head Coach Phil Jackson, and Lakers stand as one of sporting his- Kobe Bryant; tory’s greatest franchises. The team Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I move Whereas the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant was pre- to suspend the rules and agree to the sented with the Bill Russell NBA Finals was founded in 1946 in Detroit and resolution (H. Res. 566) congratulating Most Valuable Player Award; moved to Minneapolis where it adopted the 2008–2009 National Basketball Asso- Whereas in addition to the contributions of its name, the Lakers, after Minnesota’s ciation Champions, the Los Angeles superstars Bryant, Gasol, and Odom, strong State nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes. Lakers, on an outstanding and historic contributions by Ariza, Brown, Farmar, The Lakers relocated to Los Angeles in season. Ilunga-Mbenga, Bynum, Fisher, Powell, 1960. Vujacic, and Walton returned the glory that In the 1980s, the Lakers became one The Clerk read the title of the resolu- has marked much of the Los Angeles Lakers tion. of the NBA’s most electrifying and suc- franchise history; cessful teams, winning five champion- The text of the resolution is as fol- Whereas Lakers owner Jerry Buss, General lows: Manager Mitch Kupchak, Head Coach Phil ships with Hall of Famers Earvin H. RES. 566 Jackson, and the entire roster and coaching ‘‘Magic’’ Johnson, Kareem Abdul- Whereas the Los Angeles Lakers are one of staff have joined previous great Lakers Jabbar, James Worthy, and Coach Pat the most successful and respected franchises teams in winning the NBA championship; Riley. The Lakers’ dominance extended in the history of the National Basketball As- and into the 21st century as they won three sociation (NBA); Whereas the hustle, team defense, and consecutive NBA championships from Whereas prior to the 2008–2009 season, the overall unselfish play of the 2008–2009 Lakers 2000 to 2002. Lakers won 14 NBA championships, with a are emblematic of the tradition that has Thanks to this year’s impressive been a hallmark of the franchise for more cast of players that, over the years, have in- NBA Finals victory over the Orlando cluded NBA greats such as Wilt Chamber- than 63 years, and serves as a model for coaches and players everywhere: Now, there- Magic, the Lakers now boast the NBA lain, Erving ‘‘Magic’’ Johnson, James Wor- franchise record for the most wins, the thy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, fore, be it Michael Cooper, Elgin Baylor, A.C. Green, Resolved, That it is the sense of the House highest winning percentage, and the and other Lakers stars, whose accomplish- of Representatives that— most NBA Finals appearances. Of ments were captured courtside by legendary (1) the 2008–2009 National Basketball Asso- course, I would be remiss if I failed to Lakers sportscaster Francis Dayle ‘‘Chick/ ciation (NBA) World Champions, the Los An- mention that my own beloved Boston Chicky Baby’’ Hearn; geles Lakers, are to be congratulated for an outstanding and historic season; and Celtics still hold the record for the Whereas in the off-season, the Lakers’ Gen- most NBA Finals championships. You eral Manager, Mitch Kupchak, with the sup- (2) the Lakers, in winning their 15th NBA World Championship, capped a remarkable, would think they would have picked port of the team’s owner, Jerry Buss, main- someone else to do this resolution, but tained the Lakers core of Kobe Bryant, unprecedented single-season turnaround that Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, and captivated basketball fans across America I am happy to congratulate a job well Trevor Ariza; and around the world. done. Whereas the combination of Bryant, Odom, The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- Led by Head Coach Phil Jackson, one Fisher, Gasol, and Ariza, led the 2008–2009 ant to the rule, the gentleman from of the most successful coaches in NBA Lakers to a 65–17 regular season record and Massachusetts (Mr. LYNCH) and the history, and Finals MVP Kobe Bryant, the number one spot in the Western Con- gentleman from Utah (Mr. CHAFFETZ) the Lakers’ road to the NBA champion- ference playoffs; each will control 20 minutes. ship was lined with its fair share of Whereas Ariza first came to fame as a The Chair recognizes the gentleman challenges. While playing in the highly member of the 2002 and 2003 California State from Massachusetts. Championship teams at Westchester High competitive Western Conference, the GENERAL LEAVE School in Los Angeles, California; Lakers earned the conference’s best Whereas the Lakers entered the NBA play- Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I ask regular season record and were domi- offs with home court advantage as a result of unanimous consent that all Members nant throughout the playoffs. the team’s regular season performance and may have 5 legislative days within For this accomplishment, Madam defeated the Utah Jazz in 5 games; which to revise and extend their re- Speaker, we stand to commend the Los Whereas the Lakers then faced the Hous- marks. Angeles Lakers franchise, the players, ton Rockets in the Western Conference The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there coaches and, of course, the diehard semifinals, winning in 7 games, with Pau objection to the request of the gen- Lakers fans on a job well done. I am Gasol scoring 21 points in an 89–70 victory in tleman from Massachusetts? the deciding game; sure that the Lakers’ championship is There was no objection. an enormous source of pride for the Whereas the Lakers squared off against the Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, I now residents of Los Angeles, the sur- high-octane Denver Nuggets, clinching the yield myself as much time as I may series in 6 games, thanks to the outstanding rounding area, and the great State of consume. play of Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant; California as well. Whereas the Lakers’ matchup with the Or- Madam Speaker, as chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Federal In closing, I urge the adoption of lando Magic in the NBA finals represented a House Resolution 566. battle between a veteran team, the Lakers, Workforce, Postal Service, and the Dis- trict of Columbia and on behalf of the I reserve the balance of my time. and a young Magic team, led by Dwight How- Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, I ard; House Oversight and Government Re- Whereas the Lakers won the first 2 games form Committee, I am pleased to join sympathize with the anguish and the agony that my colleague from Massa- of the finals in Los Angeles, including a my colleagues, and principally Ms. WA- chusetts must have in reading and sup- hard-fought Game 2, during which Kobe Bry- TERS from the State of California, in ant and Pau Gasol combined for 53 points, the consideration of H. Res. 566, which porting this resolution. I can only hope propelling the Lakers to a 101–96 victory; provides for the recognition of the Na- that this is truly captured on film for Whereas although the Lakers lost Game 3 future use. in Orlando by a score of 108–104, NBA fans tional Basketball Association Cham- pion Los Angeles Lakers for capturing I rise in support today, as a Utah were treated to a 31-point performance by Jazz fan, in recognizing a great accom- Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who played all their 15th NBA championship. but 8 minutes of the game; House Resolution 566 was introduced plishment in the world of sports. What Whereas the Lakers were able to defeat the by Representative MAXINE WATERS of these athletes are able to do and how Magic in Game 4 despite a 25-point perform- California on June 19, 2009, and cur- they do it is truly remarkable. So I rise ance by Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu; rently has the support and cosponsor- in support of H. Res. 566 to congratu- Whereas the Lakers won Game 5 against ship of 50 Members of Congress, none of late the 2008–2009 Los Angeles Lakers the Magic by a final score of 99–86, clinching whom are from the city of Boston, in bringing home their 15th NBA cham- a historic championship, Kobe Bryant’s first courtesy of Chairman TOWNS. The pionship. championship without Shaquille O’Neal, measure has been considered and ap- For the Lakers, this was a season of Head Coach Phil Jackson’s 10th title as a redemption that ultimately ended in coach, and the Lakers organization’s 15th proved by the Oversight Committee championship; and now comes to the House floor as a victory and a historic achievement. Whereas the Lakers recovered from a dev- means of highlighting the Lakers’ suc- The conclusion of the 2007–2008 season astating loss in the 2008 NBA finals against cessful 2008–2009 NBA season and their saw the Lakers experiencing a the Boston Celtics to win the 2009 NBA final victory. humiliating 39-point blowout to the VerDate Nov 24 2008 02:57 Sep 28, 2009 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\RECORD09\RECFILES\H21JY9.REC H21JY9 smartinez on DSKB9S0YB1PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE H8466 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE July 21, 2009 Boston Celtics in game six of the NBA pionship. This resolution, H. Res. 566, congratulate her on her resolution and Playoffs, I will remind my colleague commemorates the Los Angeles for the victory that it represents. from Massachusetts. From that mo- Lakers’ 15th National Basketball Asso- I yield back the balance of my time. ment, the storied franchise made a ciation championship. The SPEAKER pro tempore.