The Los Angeles Lakers returned a loan obtained through the U.S. government's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the team confirmed on Monday, after learning that funds in the federal program had been depleted. The loans were intended to help smaller businesses with no more than 500 employees cover employee payroll and rent, with large sectors of the U.S. economy frozen amid coronavirus lockdowns and social distancing mandates. "The Lakers qualified for and received a loan under the Payroll Protection Program," the team confirmed to Reuters.