EL SEGUNDO, CA. – In celebration of LGBTQIA+ History Month, the Los Angeles Lakers will hold their fifth annual Pride Night on Friday, Oct. 13, when the team hosts the Golden State Warriors in the preseason at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers will celebrate this special event by hosting members of the local LGBTQIA+ community.
To commemorate the evening, every fan in attendance will receive a Lakers Pride long-sleeved shirt.
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Prominent members of the LGBTQIA+ community will be in attendance, as well as members and supporters from multiple LGBTQIA+ organizations. Additionally, the Los Angeles Lakers will recognize and make donations to LAMBDA Basketball, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA), Rainbow Labs, Brave Trails and the Sports Equality Foundation. GMCLA will also tip off the evening with the singing of the national anthem.
The annual ‘Laces of Unity’ Award will be presented to Rick Welts by Jason Collins. Welts is the former President and Chief Operating Officer of Golden State and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2011, Welts became the highest-ranking executive in men’s professional team sports to publicly acknowledge he was gay. The ‘Laces of Unity’ Award recognizes individuals in the sports community who have significantly contributed to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Fans are encouraged to show support on social media throughout the night by using #LAKERSPRIDENIGHT
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Los Angeles Lakers media relations contributed to this column
