Julius Erving acknowledges the crowd as he is introduced during the second quarter of a game between the Brooklyn Nets and the San Antonio Spurs earlier this year. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Former NBA stars to be virtual fans for Game 1 between Lakers, Heat

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 9/30/20

The NBA is pulling out all the stops for the NBA Finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat at Walt Disney World.

While they updated the court with a new design, the league also has a number of high-profile, retired NBA players attending Game 1 of the NBA Finals virtually, including Clyde Drexler, Dywane Wade, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish and Bill Walton, among others.

Among "virtual fans" expected for tonight's Heat-Lakers:
Bill Walton
Clyde Drexler
Dirk Nowitzki
Dwyane Wade
Isiah Thomas
James Worthy
Julius Erving
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Manu Ginobili
Pau Gasol
Ray Allen
Robert Horry
Robert Parish
Shaquille O’Neal
Chauncey Billups
Paul Pierce
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 30, 2020

The Lakers reached the Finals for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign, the year they defeated the Boston Celtics in seven games. Kobe Bryant was named the Finals MVP.

LeBron James will be making his 10th Finals appearance, which is more than all but three NBA franchises. James is 3-6 all-time in the championship round, winning in 2012 and 2013 with the Heat and 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Miami, on the other hand, has reached the Finals for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign, when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

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