championship rings before the start of the season opener against the Houston Rockets on October 26. They also visited U.S. president Barack Obama at the THEARC Boys and Girls Club in Washington, DC. in December 2010, presenting him with a banner declaring the Lakers as 2009–10 NBA World Champions. In November, Time Capsule Press published a book entitled Journey to the Ring: Behind the Scenes with the 2010 NBA Champions Lakers. The book, written by coach Jackson, featured various photographs from sports photographer Andrew D. Bernstein chronicling the Lakers 2009–10 season en route to their triumph against the Celtics. The Lakers struggled since the , missing the playoffs for multiple years. They did not return to the Finals until , defeating the Miami Heat and winning their 17th title, which tied the Celtics for the most in league history. Celtics Allen departed for the Miami Heat in 2012, while Pierce and Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets the following offseason. Also in the 2013 offseason, Rivers took over as the Los Angeles Clippers head coach, and the last remaining piece of the “Big Four”, Rondo, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks early in the 2014–15 season. Rondo would ironically join the Lakers in 2018 and win a championship with them in 2020. The Celtics did not return to the Finals until 2022, attempting to win their 18th title (which would've broke a tie with the Lakers for the most in franchise history). Their Finals record remained tied when the Golden State Warriors won the series in 6 games. References External links 2010 NBA Finals at ESPN 2010 NBA Finals at Basketball Reference National Basketball Association Finals Finals NBA NBA 2010 in sports in California NBA Finals NBA Finals Basketball competitions in Boston NBA Finals NBA Finals Basketball competitions in Los Angeles