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Los Angeles Lakers

February 09, 2023

"Lakers" redirects here. For the NBA G League team, see South Bay Lakers. For other uses, see Laker (disambiguation).

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, an arena shared with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.[9] The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, and have won 17 NBA championships, tied with the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history.[10]

Los Angeles Lakers
2022–23 Los Angeles Lakers season
ConferenceWestern
DivisionPacific
Founded1947
HistoryMinneapolis Lakers
1947–1948 (NBL)
1948–1960 (NBA)
Los Angeles Lakers
1960–present[1][2][3]
ArenaCrypto.com Arena
LocationLos Angeles, California
Team colorsPurple, gold, black[4][5][6]
     
Main sponsorBibigo[7]
PresidentJeanie Buss
General managerRob Pelinka
Head coachDarvin Ham
OwnershipBuss Family Trusts (majority)[8]
Jeanie Buss (controlling owner)
Philip Anschutz, Edward P. Roski, and Patrick Soon-Shiong (minority)
Affiliation(s)South Bay Lakers
Championships17 (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020)
Conference titles19 (1972, 1973, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2020)
Division titles33 (1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2020)
Retired numbers12 (8, 13, 22, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 42, 44, 52, 99)
Websitewww.nba.com/lakers
Association
Icon
Statement
Classic

The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). The new team began playing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers.[11] Initially a member of the NBL, the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the rival Basketball Association of America, where they would win five of the next six championships, led by star George Mikan.[12] After struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikan's retirement, they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season.

Led by Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West, Los Angeles made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s, but lost every series to the Celtics, beginning their long and storied rivalry. In 1968, the Lakers acquired four-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Wilt Chamberlain, and won their sixth NBA title—and first in Los Angeles—in 1972, led by new head coach Bill Sharman. After the retirement of West and Chamberlain, the team traded for superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who would win three MVP awards as a Laker. While the team was unable to advance to the Finals in the late 1970s, two momentous changes came in 1979 that would inaugurate a new golden era for the franchise. First, Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers, and as the team's owner, pioneered a vision of basketball games as entertainment spectacles as well as sporting events.[13] Second, the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson first overall in the 1979 NBA draft.

The combination of Johnson, a passing prodigy point guard, and a dominant center in Abdul-Jabbar provided the Lakers with two superstars to anchor their roster. The promotion of head coach Pat Riley in 1981 and the addition of forward James Worthy through the 1982 draft established the Lakers as an NBA powerhouse throughout the 1980s. The team was nicknamed the "Showtime Lakers" due to its fast break, transition offense facilitated by Johnson. The franchise won five championships in a nine-year span, including winning two out of three marquee Finals matchups against the Celtics. The Lakers were defeated by their Boston archrivals in the 1984 Finals, but triumphed over the Celtics in 1985 and 1987.

After Riley departed and Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, and Worthy all retired, the Lakers struggled in the early 1990s. It was not until 1996 when the team traded with the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant and signed star center Shaquille O'Neal that the Lakers returned to dominance during the early 2000s. The superstar duo of Bryant and O'Neal, along with Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, led the Lakers to three consecutive championships between 2000 to 2002, securing the franchise's second "three-peat."[14] The dynamic but tumultuous "Shaq-and-Kobe" era ended when the Lakers traded away O'Neal after the team lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals. It was not until after the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol that Bryant and Jackson returned to the NBA Finals, losing to the Celtics in 2008 but winning two more championships in 2009 and 2010. The 2010 Finals marked the latest matchup of the Lakers and Celtics, with Los Angeles winning its 16th title against its ancient rival in a seven-game series.

Jackson retired from coaching in 2011, and after a string of tumultuous playoff exits, the Lakers endured their longest playoff drought in franchise history. Gasol departed as a free agent in 2014, and Bryant retired in 2016 after twenty years as a Laker. After multiple rebuilding seasons with young, highly rated prospects, the Lakers signed superstar LeBron James in 2018.[15] In 2019, the team traded several of those prospects for star big man Anthony Davis.[16] The Lakers—led by James, Davis, and head coach Frank Vogel—won the team's 17th championship in 2020, tying the Celtics for the most titles in NBA history.[17]

The Lakers hold the record for NBA's longest winning streak, 33 straight games, set during the 1971–72 season.[18] Twenty-six Hall of Famers have played for Los Angeles, while four have coached the team. Four players—Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, O'Neal, and Bryant—have won a combined eight NBA MVP awards with the Lakers.[19]

Franchise history

Main article: History of the Los Angeles Lakers

1947–1954: Beginnings and Minneapolis dynasty with George Mikan

 
Minneapolis team co-owner Benjamin Berger

The Lakers' franchise began in 1947 when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen of Minnesota purchased the recently disbanded Detroit Gems[20] of the National Basketball League (NBL) for $15,000 from Gems owner Maury Winston.[21] Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman played a key behind-the-scenes role in helping put together the deal and later the team.[22] Inspired by Minnesota's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the team christened themselves the Lakers.[11][23] Hartman helped them hire John Kundla from College of St. Thomas, to be their first head coach, by meeting with him and selling him on the team.[24][25]

The Lakers had a solid roster, which featured forward Jim Pollard, playmaker Herm Schaefer, and center George Mikan, who became the most dominant player in the NBL.[26] In their first season, they led the league with a 43–17 record, later winning the NBL Championship that season.[27]

 
Hall of Famer George Mikan (#99) led the Lakers franchise to their first five NBA championships. He is described by the NBA's official website as the "first superstar" in league history.[12]

In 1948, the Lakers moved from the NBL to the Basketball Association of America (BAA), and Mikan's 28.3 point per game (ppg) scoring average set a BAA record. In the 1949 BAA Finals they won the championship, beating the Washington Capitols four games to two.[28] The following season, the team improved to 51–17, repeating as champions.[29] In the 1950–51 season, Mikan won his third straight scoring title at 28.4 ppg and the Lakers went 44–24 to win their second straight division title.[30] One of those games, a 19–18 loss against the Fort Wayne Pistons, became infamous as the lowest scoring game in NBA history.[31] In the playoffs, they defeated the Indianapolis Olympians in three games but lost to the Rochester Royals in the next round.[26]

During the 1951–52 season, the Lakers won 40 games, finishing second in their division.[32] They faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, which they won in seven games.[33] In the 1952–53 season, Mikan led the NBA in rebounding, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game (rpg), and was named MVP of the 1953 NBA All-Star Game.[30] After a 48–22 regular season, the Lakers defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in the Western playoffs to advance to the NBA Finals.[33] They then defeated the New York Knicks to win their second straight championship.[34] Though Lakers star George Mikan suffered from knee problems throughout the 1953–54 season, he was still able to average 18 ppg.[35] Clyde Lovellette, who was drafted in 1952, helped the team win the Western Division.[35] The team won its third straight championship in the 1950s and fifth in six seasons when it defeated the Syracuse Nationals in seven games.[34]

1954–1958: Post-Mikan dry spell

Following Mikan's retirement in the 1954 off-season, the Lakers struggled but still managed to win 40 games. Although they defeated the Rochester Royals in the first round of the playoffs, they were defeated by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the semifinals.[36] Although they had losing records the next two seasons, they made the playoffs each year.[32] Mikan came back for the last half of the 1955–56 season, but struggled and retired for good after the season.[37] Led by Lovellette's 20.6 points and 13.5 rebounds, they advanced to the Conference Finals in 1956–57. The Lakers had one of the worst seasons in team history in 1957–58 when they won a league-low 19 games.[38] They had hired Mikan, who had been the team's general manager for the previous two seasons, as head coach to replace Kundla. Mikan was fired in January when the team was 9–30, and Kundla was rehired.[32][39]

The Lakers earned the top pick in the 1958 NBA draft and used it to select Elgin Baylor. Baylor, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year and co-MVP of the 1959 NBA All-Star Game, averaged 24.9 ppg and 15.0 rpg helping the Lakers improve to second in their division despite a 33–39 record.[40] After upsetting the Hawks in six games in the division finals, they returned to the NBA Finals, but were swept by the Celtics, beginning their long rivalry.[41]

1958–1968: Move to Los Angeles and Celtics rivalry

 
Elgin Baylor (left) and Jerry West (right) led the team to a total of ten NBA Finals appearances in the 1960s and 1970s. Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch", West's silhouette is featured on the NBA's official logo.[42][43]

In their last year in Minneapolis, the Lakers went 25–50. On January 18, 1960, the team was coming off a loss and traveling to St. Louis when their plane crash-landed.[44] Snow storms had driven the pilot 150 miles off course when he was forced to land in a cornfield. No one was hurt.[45] Their record earned them the number two pick in the 1960 NBA draft. The team selected Jerry West from West Virginia University.[46] During the 1960 off-season, the Lakers became the NBA's first West Coast team when owner Bob Short decided to move the team to Los Angeles.[47] Led by Baylor's 34.8 ppg and 19.8 rpg, Los Angeles won 11 more than the year before in West's first season.[48] On November 15 that season, Baylor set a new NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in a victory against the New York Knicks while grabbing 25 rebounds.[49] In doing so, Baylor broke his own NBA record of 64 points. Despite a losing record, the Lakers made the playoffs.[32] They came within two points of the NBA Finals when they lost in game seven of their second round series against St. Louis.[50]

Led by Baylor and West at 38.3 and 30.8 ppg respectively,[51] the Lakers improved to 54–26 in 1961–62, and made the finals. In a game five victory, Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds and set the still-standing NBA record for points in a finals game with 61,[52] despite fouling out of the game.[53] The Lakers, however, lost to the Celtics by three points in overtime of game seven.[51] Frank Selvy, after making two jumpers in the final 40 seconds to tie the game,[54][55] missed a potential game-winning 18 foot jump shot in regulation, a miss which he said in June 2010 still haunted him more than 40 years later.[55]

Los Angeles won 53 games in 1962–63, behind Baylor's 34.0 ppg and West's 27.1 ppg[56] but lost in the NBA Finals in six games to the Celtics.[56] After falling to 42–38 and losing in the first round of the 1964 NBA playoffs to the Hawks, the team won 49 games in 1964–65. The Lakers surged past the Baltimore Bullets in the division finals, behind West's record-setting 46.3 ppg in the series.[57] They lost again to Celtics in the Finals however, this time in five games.[58]

Los Angeles lost in the finals to Boston in seven games again in 1966, this time by two points.[59] Down by 16 entering the fourth quarter, and 10 with a minute and a half to go, the Lakers mounted a furious rally in the closing moments, which fell just short.[60] After dropping to 36 wins and losing in the first round of the 1967 NBA playoffs, they lost in the finals to the Celtics again in 1968.[32] Los Angeles moved to a brand-new arena, The Forum, in 1967, after playing seven seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

1968–1973: The arrival of Wilt Chamberlain

 
Wilt Chamberlain played for Los Angeles for five seasons during the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was an integral part of their 1971–72 team that is considered one of the best in NBA history.[61]

On July 9, 1968, the team acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers for Darrell Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers.[62] In his first season as a Laker, Chamberlain set a team record by averaging a league-leading 21.1 rpg.[63] West, Baylor, and Chamberlain each averaged over 20 points, and Los Angeles won their division.[64] The Lakers and Celtics again met in the finals, and Los Angeles had home court advantage against Boston for the first time in their rivalry. They won the first game behind Jerry West's 53 points,[65] and had a 3–2 lead after five.[66] Boston won the series in seven games however,[67] and earned their 11th NBA Championship in 13 seasons.[68] West was named the first-ever Finals MVP; this remains the only time that a member of the losing team has won the award.[69] In 1970, West won his first scoring title at 31.2 ppg, the team returned to the finals, and for the first time in 16 years, they did not have to face the Celtics; instead playing the New York Knicks, who defeated them 4–3.[70][71] The next season the Lakers were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks, led by future Laker Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the Western Conference Finals.[72]

The 1971–72 season brought several changes. Owner Jack Kent Cooke brought in Bill Sharman as head coach,[73] and Elgin Baylor announced his retirement early in the season after realizing that his legs were not healthy enough.[73] Sharman increased the team's discipline.[74] He introduced the concept of the shootaround, where players would arrive at the arena early in the morning before a game to practice shots.[75] They won 14 straight games in November and all 16 games played in December.[73] They won three straight to open the year of 1972 but on January 9, the Milwaukee Bucks ended their winning streak by defeating the Lakers, 120–104.[76] By winning 33 straight games, Los Angeles set a record for longest winning streak of any team in major American professional team sports.[77][78] The Lakers won 69 games that season, which stood as the NBA record for 24 years until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1995–96.[79] Chamberlain averaged a low 14.8 points but led the league in rebounding at 19.2 a game.[80] West's 9.7 assists per game (apg) led the league, he also averaged more than 25 points, and was named MVP of the 1972 NBA All-Star Game.[80] The team failed to score 100 points just once all year,[81] and at the end of the season, Bill Sharman was named Coach of the Year.[82] The Lakers went on to reach the finals against the New York Knicks where they would avenge their 1970 finals loss by defeating them 4 games to 1. Chamberlain tallied 24 points and 29 rebounds in game five and won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.[83][84]

The Lakers won 60 games in the 1972–73 season, and took another Pacific Division title.[85] Wilt Chamberlain, playing in his final season, again led the league in rebounding and set the still standing NBA record for field-goal percentage at 72.7%.[85] The team defeated the Chicago Bulls in seven games in the conference semifinals, then the Golden State Warriors in five in the Western Division Finals.[85] They played the New York Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals. Los Angeles took the first game by three points, but New York won the series in five games.[86]

1973–1979: Building "Showtime"

During the 1973–74 season, the team was hampered by the loss of West, who played only 31 games before his legs gave out.[87] Goodrich, averaging 25.3 points, helped the team to a late-season surge.[87] Trailing the Golden State Warriors by three games with seven left to play, the Lakers rallied to finish 47–35 and win the Pacific Division.[87] They made the playoffs but managed just one win against Milwaukee in the conference semifinals. Following the season, West retired due to contract disagreements with Cooke, and filed a suit for unpaid back wages.[88]

 
The Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975.

After missing the playoffs in the 1974–75 season, the Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had won three league MVPs by that time.[89] Abdul-Jabbar wanted out of Milwaukee, demanding a trade to either New York or Los Angeles.[90] He was traded for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers. Abdul-Jabbar had his fourth MVP season in 1975–76, leading the league in rebounding, blocked shots, and minutes played.[91] The Lakers struggled in January, going 3–10, and finished out of the playoffs at 40–42.[91]

West and Cooke settled their differences—and the former Laker's lawsuit—and Cooke hired him to replace Sharman as the team's coach.[92] West became upset, however, when Cooke refused to spend the money necessary to acquire forward Julius Erving, who the Nets were selling.[93] Behind another MVP season from Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles won the Pacific Division, finishing the 1976–77 season a league-best 53–29.[94] They defeated the Warriors in a seven-game series to open the postseason before being swept by Portland in the Western Conference Finals.[91] During the off-season, Los Angeles picked up Jamaal Wilkes from Golden State and signed first-round draft pick Norm Nixon.

In the first two minutes of the first game of the 1977–78 season, Abdul-Jabbar punched Bucks center Kent Benson for an overly aggressive elbow and broke his hand.[95] Two months later, a healthy Abdul-Jabbar got into an altercation with Houston Rockets center Kevin Kunnert after a rebound. The team's starting power forward, Kermit Washington, who was averaging 11.5 points and 11.2 rebounds,[96] entered the fight, and when Rudy Tomjanovich ran in from the bench to break up the action, Washington punched him in the face.[97] Tomjanovich nearly died from the punch, suffering a fractured skull and other facial injuries, which prematurely ended his playing career.[98] Washington, who stated that he assumed Tomjanovich was a combatant, was suspended for two months by the NBA, and released by the Lakers.[99] The team won 45 games despite being down a starter in Washington and not having Abdul-Jabbar for nearly two months, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle.[100] During the 1978–79 season, the team posted a 47–35 record but lost to the SuperSonics in the semifinal round of the playoffs.[91]

1979–1991: "Showtime"

Further information: Showtime (basketball)
 
Magic Johnson along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the "Showtime" Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s.

In the 1979 NBA draft, Los Angeles selected 6-foot, 9-inch point guard Magic Johnson from Michigan State with the first overall pick.[101] It took Johnson's teammates time to acclimate themselves to his passing ability, as his "no-look" passes often caught them unaware. Once they adjusted, his passing became a key part of Los Angeles' offense.[102] The Lakers won 60 games in Johnson's rookie year, and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the 1980 NBA Finals. Johnson won the Finals MVP award, after starting at center for the injured Abdul-Jabbar in game six, and tallying 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.[103] The team fell off in the 1980–81 season, though, as the Lakers lost Johnson for most of the season to a knee injury.[104] The team turned in a 54–28 record and finished second behind the Phoenix Suns in the Pacific Division.[104] The Rockets, led by Moses Malone, defeated Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs.[104]

Early in the 1981–82 season, Johnson complained to the media about head coach Paul Westhead and demanded a trade.[105] Westhead was fired shortly after Johnson's criticisms, and although Lakers' owner Jerry Buss stated that Johnson's comments did not factor into the decision, Johnson was vilified by the national media and booed both on the road and at home.[106][107][108] Buss promoted assistant coach Pat Riley to "co-head coach" with Jerry West (although West considered himself Riley's assistant) on November 19 and the team won 17 of its next 20 games.[104][109][110] Nicknamed "Showtime" due to the team's new Johnson-led fast break-offense, the Lakers won the Pacific Division title and swept both the Suns and Spurs in the 1982 playoffs.[111] Los Angeles stretched its postseason winning streak to nine games by taking the first contest of the NBA Finals from the 76ers.[104][112] The team won the Finals 4–2 to finish a 12–2 playoff run.[104] On draft night in 1982, the Lakers had the first overall pick (the result of a trade with Cleveland midway through the 1979–80 season, when the Lakers had sent Don Ford and a 1980 first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Butch Lee and their 1982 selection) and selected James Worthy from North Carolina.[113] The Lakers won the Pacific Division at 58–24, but Worthy suffered a leg injury in the last week of the season and missed the rest of the season.[114] Nevertheless, they advanced to play Philadelphia in the 1983 NBA Finals after defeating Portland and San Antonio.[114] The Sixers, however, won the series and the championship in four games.[113] After the season West replaced Sharman as the team's GM.[115]

In the 1983–84 season, Los Angeles went 54–28, and played Boston in the Finals for the first time since 1969.[116] The Lakers won two of the first three games. However, Kevin McHale's hard clothesline foul of Lakers forward Kurt Rambis on a fast break is credited as a turning point of the series.[117] Boston won three of the next four to win the title and send Los Angeles's record to 0–8 in Finals series against the Celtics.[116]

Using the past year's Finals defeat as motivation, the team won the Pacific Division for the fourth straight year and lost just two games in the Western Conference playoffs. In the NBA Finals, the Celtics were again the Lakers' final hurdle. Los Angeles lost game one of the NBA Finals by a score of 148–114, in what is remembered as the "Memorial Day Massacre".[118] The Lakers, behind 38-year-old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar, recovered to defeat the Celtics in six games.[119] The team won the title in the Boston Garden, becoming the only visiting team to ever win an NBA championship there.[118]

 
Los Angeles drafted James Worthy first overall in 1982. "Big Game James" recorded his only career triple double in the Lakers game seven victory over the Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals.[120]

In the 1985–86 season, the Lakers started 24–3 and went on to win 62 games and their fifth straight division title.[121] The Rockets, however, defeated the Lakers in five games in the Western Conference Finals. Houston won the series when Ralph Sampson hit a 20-foot jumper as time expired in game five at The Forum.[121]

Prior to the 1986–87 season, the Lakers moved A.C. Green into the starting lineup, and acquired Mychal Thompson from the Spurs.[122] Johnson won his first career MVP Award while leading the Lakers to a 65–17 record,[122] and Michael Cooper was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.[122] Before the season, Riley had made the decision to shift the focus of the offense to Johnson over the 40-year-old Abdul-Jabbar.[123] The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals by sweeping the Nuggets, defeating the Warriors in five games, and sweeping the SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals.[124] The Lakers defeated Boston in the first two games of the Finals, and the teams split the next four games, giving Los Angeles their second championship in three seasons.[122] The series was highlighted by Johnson's running "baby hook" shot to win game four at Boston Garden with two seconds remaining.[125] Johnson was named the NBA Finals MVP, in addition to regular season MVP.[126] At the Lakers' championship celebration in Los Angeles, coach Riley brashly declared that Los Angeles would repeat as NBA champions,[122] which no team had done since the 1968–69 Boston Celtics.

Looking to make good on Riley's promise in the 1987–88 season, the Lakers took their seventh consecutive Pacific Division title with a 62–20 record. They swept the Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference Finals before pulling out a tough seven-game series win over the Utah Jazz led by youngsters Karl Malone and John Stockton. A seven-game Western Conference finals win over the Dallas Mavericks propelled the Lakers to the NBA Finals once again. In their seventh trip to the Finals in nine years, they met the Detroit Pistons. Los Angeles would take the series in seven games, and James Worthy's game seven triple-double earned him a Finals MVP award.[127] The win marked their fifth title in nine years, but would also mark their last title until 2000.

In the 1988–89 season, Los Angeles won 57 games and their eighth consecutive Pacific Division crown. They swept through the playoffs defeating Portland, Seattle, and Phoenix. In an eighth trip to the NBA Finals in 10 years, they once again faced the Detroit Pistons.[128] Hampered by injuries to Byron Scott and Johnson, the Lakers were swept by Detroit.[129]

Following the 1989 Finals, on June 28, 1989, after 20 professional seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. The Lakers still cruised through the Pacific Division, winning their ninth consecutive division crown with a 63–19 record. However, after beating the Rockets in the first round, they lost four games to one in the second round of the playoffs to the Suns.[130] Riley announced he was stepping down after the season citing burnout,[131] and was replaced by Mike Dunleavy.[132] Riley's departure received a mixed reaction from the players. They respected his contributions, but some, such as Worthy and Scott, had grown tired of his intense practices and felt he tried to take too much credit for the team's successes.[133] Following the season, 1987 Defensive Player of the Year winner Michael Cooper decided to play in Europe and was waived at his request.[134]

The 1990–91 Lakers failed to win the Pacific Division for the first time in 10 years, but still finished with a 58–24 record. After cruising through the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers found themselves in the NBA Finals once again, their ninth trip to the Finals in 12 years. The 1991 Finals represented a changing of the guard as the Lakers were defeated in five games by the Chicago Bulls, led by superstar Michael Jordan.[135]

1991–1996: Post-"Showtime" dry spell

On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and would retire immediately.[136]

In their first season without Johnson, the team won 43 games to earn the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.[32] The Lakers were defeated in the first round by Portland. Following the season, head coach Mike Dunleavy was fired.

The Lakers would lose 43 games in 1992–93 under Randy Pfund, their first losing season since 1976. The Lakers would still make the playoffs, and would become the first eighth seed to win the opening two games on the road against a number one seed when they took a 2–0 lead against Phoenix.[137] They lost the next two games at home however, then game five in Phoenix in overtime.[137] During the 1993–94 season, Pfund was fired during the season that would result in the Lakers failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 1976. Magic Johnson, would coach the final 16 games of the season with former teammate Michael Cooper as his lead assistant.[138] Johnson decided not to take the job permanently due to what he felt was a lack of commitment from certain players, and Los Angeles ended the season with a 10-game losing streak to finish 33–49.[139][140]

Under new coach Del Harris, Los Angeles made the playoffs each of the next two seasons but was eliminated in the second and first rounds respectively.[141][142] The team was led by young guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones.[143] Johnson came out of retirement to return as a player in the 1995–96 season to lead the then 24–18 Lakers to a 29–11 finish.[144] After some run-ins with Van Exel, displeasure with Harris's strategies, and a first-round loss to the Rockets, Johnson decided to retire for the final time after the season.[145]

1996–2004: O'Neal and Bryant dynasty

 
Championship banners from Minneapolis and Los Angeles & retired jerseys, hanging in the rafters of Crypto.com Arena in 2022

During the 1996 off-season, the Lakers acquired 17-year-old Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets for Vlade Divac; Bryant was drafted 13th overall out of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania in that year's draft, by Charlotte. Los Angeles also signed free-agent Shaquille O'Neal.[146] Trading for Bryant was West's idea, and he was influential in the team's signing of the all-star center.[147] "Jerry West is the reason I came to the Lakers", O'Neal later said.[148] They used their 24th pick in the draft to select Derek Fisher.[149] During the season, the team traded Cedric Ceballos to Phoenix for Robert Horry.[150] O'Neal led the team to a 56–26 record, their best effort since 1990–91, despite missing 31 games due to a knee injury.[151] O'Neal averaged 26.2 ppg and 12.5 rpg and finished third in the league in blocked shots (2.88 bpg) in 51 games.[151][152] The Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs as O'Neal scored 46 points in Game 1 against the Trail Blazers, marking the highest single-game playoff scoring output by a Laker since Jerry West scored 53 against the Celtics in 1969.[151] In the next round, the Lakers lost in five games to the Utah Jazz.[151]

In the 1997–98 season, O'Neal and the Lakers had the best start in franchise history, 11–0.[153] O'Neal would miss 20 games on the season due to an abdominal injury.[153] Los Angeles battled Seattle for the Pacific Division title most of the season. In the final two months, the Lakers won 22 of their final 25 games,[153] finishing 61–21, but still finished second to Seattle in the standings.[153] The Lakers defeated Portland three games to one in the first round to advance to face Seattle. Although the Sonics won the first game, the Lakers responded with four straight wins, taking the series,[153] but were swept by the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.[153]

During the 1998–99 season, All-Star guard Eddie Jones and center Elden Campbell were traded to the Charlotte Hornets.[154] The team also acquired J. R. Reid, B. J. Armstrong, and Glen Rice.[155] Head coach Del Harris was fired in February after a three-game losing streak and replaced on an interim basis by former Laker Kurt Rambis.[156] The team finished 31–19 in the strike-shortened season, which was fourth in the Western Conference.[157] The Lakers defeated Houston in the first round of the playoffs, but were swept by San Antonio in the next round. Game four of the series would be the last game ever played at the Great Western Forum.[158]

 
The Lakers at the White House following their 2001 NBA championship

Before the 1999–2000 season, West was prepared to hire Rambis as the team's full-time coach before an outcry from fans and members of the organization caused him to seek out a bigger name.[159] Los Angeles hired former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson, who had coached that team to six championships, and gave him a lucrative $6 million a year contract.[160] He brought along assistant Tex Winter and they installed Winter's version of the triangle offense.[161] The Lakers signed veterans Brian Shaw, John Salley, Ron Harper, and A.C. Green, who was a Laker during the "Showtime" era.[150] The team also moved to a new arena, the Staples Center.[162]

Led by league MVP O'Neal, the Lakers won 31 of their first 36 games.[163] They finished 67–15, the highest win total since they won 65 in the 1986–87 season.[163] The eliminated Sacramento and Phoenix in the first two rounds of the playoffs.[164] After the Lakers took a three games to one lead in the Western Conference Finals against Portland, the Trail Blazers won the next two games to force a game seven.[165] The Lakers, who trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter, would go on 19–4 run to tie the game and eventually win 89–84 to advance to the NBA Finals.[165] In their first trip to the Finals since 1991, the Lakers defeated Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers four games to two win their first title since 1988.[166] West retired from his spot in the team's front office after the season after a power struggle between him and Jackson over control of the team's operations.[167] After the season, starters Rice and Green left the team,[168] and Los Angeles signed Horace Grant.[169]

The following season, the Lakers won 11 fewer regular season games than the prior year,[170] but swept the first three rounds of the playoffs, defeating the Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio.[171] They met Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. Although the Sixers took game one in overtime,[172] the Lakers won the next four games to win their second straight title. Their 15–1 postseason record was the best in NBA history.[173]

 
 
Shaquille O'Neal (left), and Kobe Bryant (right), helped the Lakers win three straight NBA titles. Though they played well together on the court, the pair had an acrimonious relationship at times in the locker room.[174][175]

The Lakers won 58 games in 2001–02. In the playoffs, they swept Portland and defeated San Antonio four games to one to advance to the Western Conference Finals to face Sacramento.[176] The series would go on to be known as one of the greatest playoff matchups in NBA history. The series extended to all seven games and ended in a Lakers victory.[177] In game one, Bryant scored 30 points as the Lakers won, 106–99. The series would then shift in Sacramento's favor, with the Kings winning the next two games. Facing a deficit in game 4, the Lakers had the ball with under 20 seconds to play. After misses by both Bryant and O'Neal, Kings center Vlade Divac tapped the ball away from the rim in an attempt to wind down the clock. It went straight into Robert Horry's hands, who drained a game-winning three with under three seconds to play. After the Kings won game five on a buzzer-beater by Mike Bibby, the Lakers were faced with a must-win game six. In one of the most controversial playoff games in league history (Tim Donaghy's betting scandal), the Lakers would win by four points.[178] The Lakers went on to win game seven in overtime, with the Kings missing numerous potentially game-saving shots and free throws. The Lakers then achieved a three-peat by sweeping Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals.[179] O'Neal won each of the Finals series' MVP awards, making him the only player besides Michael Jordan to win three consecutive Finals MVPs.[180]

The Lakers would attempt a four-peat the following year, but started the 2002–03 season 11–19.[181] However, they finished the season 39–13 to finish 50–32.[182] They defeated Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs, but the four-peat attempt ended as they were eliminated by San Antonio in six games in the second round.[183]

During the 2003–04 season, the team was the subject of intense media coverage generated by the teaming of four stars and the sexual-assault case involving Kobe Bryant.[184][185] Before the season, the Lakers signed two-time MVP Karl Malone formerly of the Jazz, and former Seattle Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton to join O'Neal and Bryant.[186] Three of the "big four", however, struggled with injuries: O'Neal suffered from a strained calf, Malone an injured knee, and Bryant an injured shoulder.[187][188] The Lakers started 18–3 and finished 56–26 and won the Pacific Division title, entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. They defeated Houston, San Antonio, and Minnesota to advance to the NBA Finals.[189] In the Finals, they would lose to Detroit in five games.

2004–2016: The Kobe Bryant era

2004–2007: Rebuilding

During the 2004 off-season, the team entered a rebuilding phase when O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, and a first-round draft pick.[190] Bryant and O'Neal had clashed in the past,[191] and the media credited their feud as one of the motivating factors for the trade.[192] Jackson did not return as head coach, and wrote a book about the team's 2003–04 season, in which he heavily criticized Bryant and called him "uncoachable".[193][194][195] The Lakers front office said that the book contained "several inaccuracies".[196]

The Lakers also traded Rick Fox and Gary Payton to Boston, for Chris Mihm, Marcus Banks, and Chucky Atkins before the 2004–05 season.[197] Derek Fisher, frustrated with losing playing time, opted out of his contract and signed with the Warriors.[197] The team hired Rudy Tomjanovich to replace Jackson.[197] After sitting out the first half of the 2004–05 season, Malone announced his retirement on February 13, 2005.[198] Tomjanovich coached the team to a 22–19 record before resigning due to health problems.[199] Assistant Frank Hamblen was named interim head coach to replace Tomjanovich for the remainder of the season.[200] Bryant (ankle) and Odom (shoulder) suffered injuries, and the Lakers finished 34–48, missing the playoffs for only the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since 1994.[32]

With the tenth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, the Lakers selected Andrew Bynum, a center from St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey.[201] The team also traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to Washington for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit.[202] Jackson returned to coach the team after Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through the previous season.[203] On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto, the second-highest total in NBA history.[204] Ending the season 45–37, the team made the playoffs after a one-season absence.[205] After taking a three games to one lead in the first round, Phoenix came back to take the series in seven games.[206]

In the following season, the Lakers won 26 of their first 39 games,[207] but lost 27 of their last 43—including seven in a row at one point—to finish 42–40.[207] They were eliminated in the first round by Phoenix again.[207] Frustrated by the team's inability to advance in the playoffs, Bryant demanded to be traded in the off-season.[208] Buss initially agreed to seek a trade,[209] but also worked to try to change Bryant's mind.[210]

2007–2011: Bryant and Gasol duo

After re-acquiring Derek Fisher, the Lakers started the 2007–08 season with a 25–11 record, before Andrew Bynum, their center who was leading the league in field-goal percentage, went out for the year due to a knee injury in mid-January.[211] In what would become a crucial transfer for the franchise's return to championship form, they acquired the six-time all-star power forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade in early February and went 22–5 to finish the season.[212] The Lakers' 57–25 record earned them the first seed in the Western Conference.[213] Bryant was awarded the league's MVP award, becoming the first Laker to win the award since O'Neal in 2000.[214][215] In the playoffs, they defeated the Nuggets in four games, the Jazz in six, and the defending champion Spurs in five, but lost to the Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals.[216]

In the 2008–09 season, the Lakers finished 65–17; the best record in the Western Conference.[217] They defeated the Jazz in five games, the Rockets in seven and the Nuggets in six, to win the Western Conference title. They then won their 15th NBA championship by defeating the Orlando Magic in five games in the NBA finals.[218] Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career.[219]

 
The Lakers with President Barack Obama following their 2010 NBA championship

The Lakers, who had added Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace)[220] in place of Trevor Ariza in their starting lineup, finished the 2009–10 season with the best record in the Western Conference for the third straight time. On January 13, 2010, the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to win 3,000 regular-season games by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 100–95.[221] They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Utah Jazz, and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference playoffs. In the finals, the Lakers played the Boston Celtics for the 12th time. They rallied back from a 3–2 disadvantage in the series and erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the seventh game to defeat the Celtics. This series win gave them their 16th NBA title overall and 11th since they moved to Los Angeles.[222] Bryant was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row, despite a 6–24 shooting performance in game seven.[223]

After much speculation, head coach Phil Jackson returned for the 2010–11 season.[224] In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round.[225] But their opportunity for a three-peat was denied by the Dallas Mavericks in a four-game sweep of the second round. After the season, it was announced that Jackson will not be returning to coach the Lakers.[226]

2011–2016: Post-Jackson era

After Jackson's retirement, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was hired as head coach on May 25, 2011.[227] Before the start of the shortened 2011–12 season, the Lakers traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks after Odom requested to be traded.[228] On the trade deadline long time Laker Derek Fisher along with a first round draft pick were traded to the Houston Rockets for Jordan Hill.[229] With a 41–25 regular season record the Lakers entered the playoffs as the third seed, the team defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round in seven games but were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round in five games.[230][231]

On July 4, 2012, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that would send him to the Lakers in exchange for the Lakers' 2013 and 2015 first round draft picks, 2013 and 2014 second round draft picks, and $3 million. The trade was made official on July 11, 2012, the first day the trade moratorium was lifted.[232] On August 10, 2012, in a four-team trade the Lakers traded Andrew Bynum and acquired Dwight Howard.[233] On November 9, 2012, Mike Brown was relieved of coaching duties after a 1–4 start to the 2012–13 season.[234] Assistant Coach Bernie Bickerstaff took over as interim head coach, leading the Lakers to a 5–5 record. On November 12, 2012, the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni as head coach.[235] On February 18, 2013, Lakers owner Jerry Buss died from cancer at age 80.[236] On the court, D'Antoni coached the Lakers to a 40–32 record the rest of the way to finish 45–37, their worst record since 2007. The Lakers clinched a playoff berth on the final game of the season and finished seventh in the Western Conference after beating the Houston Rockets on April 16, 2013.[237][238] The Lakers battled injuries all season, the most prominent of which is the Achilles tendon rupture to Kobe Bryant that ended his season after 78 games. The absence of Bryant was sorely felt as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs.[239] Nevertheless, Bryant passed Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain to become the fourth all-time leading scorer in NBA history on March 30, 2013, against the Sacramento Kings.[240]

On December 8, 2013, Bryant played in his first game since tearing his Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013.[241] However, on December 17, 2013, he suffered a broken bone in his knee, and did not return for the remainder of the season.[242][243] On March 25, 2014, the Lakers scored 51 points in the third quarter against the New York Knicks, the most points scored in a quarter in the history of the franchise.[244] The Lakers went on to miss the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2005, for just the second time in the last two decades and for just the sixth time in franchise history. On April 30, 2014, Mike D'Antoni resigned from his position as head coach after a 27–55 season.[245]

After spending the majority of the off-season without a head coach, the Lakers named former player Byron Scott as the new head coach.[246] After the season, he was the frontrunner to become the new Lakers head coach. Scott interviewed three times for the position, which had become vacant after Mike D'Antoni's resignation.[247] On July 28, 2014, he signed a multi-year contract to coach the Lakers.[248]

During the first game of the 2014–15 season, the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Julius Randle went down with a broken leg, which ended his rookie season. The Lakers began their season losing 10 of their first 16 games. After playing only 35 games, Kobe Bryant tore a rotator cuff in his shoulder ending his season. Nick Young was also forced to end his season with a fractured kneecap, leaving the team with a record of 14–41.[249] With 27 games left in the regular season, Byron Scott gave rookie Jordan Clarkson more playing time. Clarkson, the 46th overall pick in the 2014 draft, finished his rookie season with game stats of 11.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, and shooting 44.8% from the field.[250] The Lakers' season ended with a record of 21–61, the fourth worst record in the league and at the time the worst record in franchise history.

The next season, the Lakers had the second overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft, which they used to select Ohio State freshman point guard D'Angelo Russell. The team also selected Larry Nance Jr. with the 27th overall pick.[251] On November 30, 2015, Bryant announced he would retire at the end of the season after 20 seasons with the team.[252] In Bryant's last season the team missed the playoffs for the third straight year with a 17–65 record, the worst in franchise history.[253]

2016–2018: Post-Bryant era

 
Frank Vogel, who coached the Lakers for three seasons

On April 24, 2016, the Lakers announced that they would not exercise their option on Byron Scott's contract for the following season.[254] On April 29, the team announced another former Laker, Luke Walton, as their new head coach. At the time of his hiring, Walton was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, who were in the playoffs, so he could not officially begin his duties as head coach until the Warriors' playoff run was over.[255] The Lakers earned the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft,[256] and selected Brandon Ingram from Duke University.[257] The team also selected Ivica Zubac with the 32nd overall pick.[258]

On February 21, 2017, the Lakers fired general manager Mitch Kupchak, while Magic Johnson was named as the president of basketball operations. The team's governor Jeanie Buss, also announced the removal of her brother, Jim Buss, from his position as executive vice president of basketball operations.[259][260] On March 7, 2017, the Lakers hired Rob Pelinka as the general manager, signing him to a five-year deal.[261] The Lakers again earned the second overall pick, this time, in the 2017 NBA draft,[262] and selected Lonzo Ball from UCLA.[263] The Lakers also acquired Kyle Kuzma from the University of Utah with the 27th overall pick from a draft-day trade, along with Brook Lopez in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.[264] The Lakers also traded their 28th overall pick, Tony Bradley, in exchange for the 30th overall pick, Josh Hart, from Villanova University and the 42nd overall pick, Thomas Bryant, from Indiana University.[265] In February 2018, Nance Jr. and Clarkson were traded away to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and a 2018 first-round draft pick.[266] On July 2, 2018, Randle was renounced by the Lakers.[267]

2018–present: The LeBron James era

2018–2019: The arrival of LeBron James

 
LeBron James in 2018

On July 9, 2018, the Lakers signed LeBron James to a four-year, $154 million contract.[268][269] By the Christmas Day game, the Lakers were six games over .500 before James sustained a groin injury leading to several weeks of missed games. Ball and Ingram also ended their seasons early due to injuries. On February 7, 2019, Zubac was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers along with Michael Beasley in exchange for Mike Muscala.[270]

On April 9, 2019, Johnson stepped down as the team's president of basketball operations,[271] and two days later, the Lakers parted ways with head coach Walton after the team failed to reach the playoffs for the sixth straight year.[272]

2019–present: James and Davis era

On May 13, Frank Vogel was named the Lakers' head coach.[273] The Lakers received the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft lottery.[274] On July 6, the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans for Ball, Ingram, Hart, and three first-round picks, including the number four overall in the 2019 draft.[275] This trade officially ended the young core era of the Lakers; only Kuzma remained out of the group of players.

Following the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, the Lakers were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season.[276] The Lakers finished the regular season with a 52–19 record, entering the playoffs for the first time since 2013,[277] and as the top seed for the first time since 2010.[278] They advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.[279] They defeated the Miami Heat 4–2 to win the 2020 NBA Finals,[280] and James was named the Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career.[281] The win gave Los Angeles their 17th championship in franchise history, tying the Boston Celtics for the most all-time.[282] Primary Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, who took over the team in 2017, would also become the first female controlling owner of an NBA team to win the NBA Finals.[283]

During the 2021 off-season, the Lakers picked up many NBA veterans, the most notable of which was Russell Westbrook, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards. Kyle Kuzma, the last player left from the Lakers' young core era, was traded away, along with others. Other veterans picked up during the off-season included Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, and returning players Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo.[284] Alex Caruso left the Lakers and signed with the Chicago Bulls, and veteran locker-room voice Jared Dudley retired.[285][286]

Rivalries

Boston Celtics

Main article: Celtics–Lakers rivalry

The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Lakers involves the two most storied basketball franchises in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. It has been called the best rivalry in the NBA.[287] The two teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first Finals meeting in 1959. They would go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and the 1980s, facing each other six times in the 1960s and three times in the 1980s.

The rivalry had been less intense since the retirements of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the early 1990s, but in 2008 it was renewed as the Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals for the first time since 1987, with the Celtics winning the series 4–2. They faced off once again in the 2010 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won in 7 games.

The two teams have tied for the highest number of championships, with 17 titles apiece; together, the 34 championships account for almost half of the 74 championships in NBA history.

The all-time series record for the Lakers vs Celtics is 204–162 with the Celtics being the forerunners.[288]

Detroit Pistons

Main article: Lakers–Pistons rivalry

The rivalry between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons developed in the late 1980s.[289]: 228  Both teams faced each other in back-to-back finals appearances in the 1988 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won in 7 games and the 1989 NBA Finals, which the Pistons won in 4 games.

The rivalry reemerged in the early 2000s as both teams squared off against one another in the 2004 NBA Finals, which the Pistons won in five games.

Los Angeles Clippers

Main article: Lakers–Clippers rivalry

The rivalry between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers is unique because they are the only two NBA teams to share an arena, the Crypto.com Arena. It is also one of only two intra-city rivalries in the NBA, the other being the new crosstown rivalry between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

Los Angeles fans have historically favored the Lakers.[290][291] Some contend that the term rivalry was inaccurate until the Clippers became more successful.[292]

San Antonio Spurs

Main article: Lakers–Spurs rivalry

The San Antonio Spurs and the Lakers, developed what some would classify as a rivalry in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 1999, the teams have met in the NBA Playoffs five times, with the clubs combining to appear in seven consecutive NBA Finals (from 1999 to 2005). Additionally, the teams combined to win five NBA championships from 1999 to 2003; the Spurs won the NBA championship in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 while the Lakers won the championship in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010. From 1999 to 2004 the clubs' rivalry was often considered the premier rivalry in the NBA,[293] and each time the clubs faced each other in the playoffs the winner advanced to the NBA Finals. In 2008, the teams met again in the Western Conference Finals where the Spurs were handily defeated only to beat the Lakers when they met again in 2013.

Ownerships, financial history, and fanbase

Berger and Chalfen purchased the NBL's disbanded Detroit Gems for $15,000 in 1947, changed their name to the Lakers, and relocated them to Minnesota. Max Winter bought a third of the club in their early years and sold his share to Mikan in 1954. Berger bought Mikan's share in 1956 giving him a controlling (⅔) interest.[294] After Mikan retired, attendance plummeted and the team lost money for several seasons, leading the ownership group to put the team up for sale in 1957.[295] Marty Marion, a retired baseball player and manager, and his business partner Milton Fischman attempted to purchase the team with the intention of moving the club to Kansas City, Missouri.[295][296] Mikan offered to mortgage his home in an attempt to buy the team and keep the club in Minnesota.[297] The Lakers were sold to a group of investors led by Bob Short, however.[294] The team was sold to Short's group with the agreement that it would not be relocated to Kansas City but kept in Minnesota.[298] Short's ownership group consisted of 117 Minnesota businesses and private citizens, who amassed a total of $200,000 for the purchase; $150,000 to buy the team and $50,000 to run it.[294] By 1958 Short had become 80% owner of the team by buying out his partners,[294] but the team was floundering. Attendance remained poor, and the NBA had put the Lakers on "financial probation", notifying them that if they did not meet certain ticket sales numbers they could be bought out by the league and relocated. Short was forced to move the team to Los Angeles in 1960; the club had lost $60,000 in the first half of the 1959–60 season alone.[299] The NBA's owners originally voted 7–1 against the move.[300] When Short indicated that he might take the team to a new rival league that was developing, however, the owners held another vote that same day and allowed the relocation (8–0).[301] Aided by Baylor's drawing power,[302][303] and the new locale, the team's finances improved when they arrived in LA.[304][305] Short sold the team to Washington Redskins owner and publisher Jack Kent Cooke in 1965 for a then league record amount of $5.175 million.[306] Short insisted the deal be conducted in cash as he was wary of Cooke, so guards transported the money in a cart from one New York bank to another.[307]

 
Jerry Buss owned the team from 1979 until his death in 2013.

Cooke was a more hands-on owner than Short, and overhauled the team's operations.[308] He personally financed construction of the Forum in 1967 at a cost of $16.5 million.[309][310] He owned the team until 1979 when he sold it, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, the Forum, and some real estate to Jerry Buss for $67 million.[311] Cooke was forced to sell the team as he was undergoing a costly divorce.[312][313] Buss was a local chemical engineer and former University of Southern California professor who had become wealthy in real estate.[310][314] Philip Anschutz bought a stake in the team in 1998,[315] and until October 2010 Magic Johnson was a minority owner as well.[316] Buss started the trend of allowing sponsors to add their name to team's stadiums when he renamed the Forum the Great Western Forum in 1988.[317] In 2009 major sponsors included Verizon Wireless, Toyota, Anheuser-Busch, American Express, and Carl's Jr., and the team's $113 average ticket price was the highest in the league.[315] In 2013, Buss died at the age of 80 after being hospitalized for 18 months with cancer.[318][319][320] His controlling ownership of the team passed to his six children via a trust, with each child receiving an equal vote.[321][322] Buss' succession plan had daughter Jeanie Buss assume his title as the Lakers' governor as well as its team representative at NBA Board of Governors meetings.[322][323]

Given the team's proximity to Hollywood, the Lakers fanbase includes numerous celebrities, many of whom can be seen at the Staples Center during home games.[324] Jack Nicholson, for example, has held season tickets since the 1970s, and directors reportedly need to work their shooting schedules around Lakers home games.[325] From 2002 and 2007 the team averaged just over 18,900 fans, which placed them in the top ten in the NBA in attendance. Red Hot Chili Peppers' song "Magic Johnson", from their 1989 album Mother's Milk, is a tribute to the former point guard, and frontman Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary are frequently seen attending home games.[326] In 2008, the team sold out every home game,[327] and in 2010, the Lakers had the most popular team merchandise among all NBA teams, and Bryant the most popular jersey.[328]

Name, logo, and uniforms

Further information: Logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers
 
The Lakers current wordmark, used since the 1999–2000 season. The version shown is used on their "Association" white jerseys.

The Laker nickname came from the state of Minnesota being the Land of 10,000 Lakes.[11][329] The team's colors are purple, gold and white.[330][6] The Lakers logo consists of the team name, "Los Angeles Lakers" written in purple on top of a gold basketball. The team usually wears white jerseys for Sunday and holiday home games.[330][331]

Season-by-season record

List of the last five seasons completed by the Lakers. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Los Angeles Lakers seasons.

The Lakers have won 17 NBA titles and have appeared in the NBA Finals 15 other times.[32] These appearances include eight NBA Finals appearances in the 1980s. The best record posted by the team was 69–13, in 1972; the worst record was 17–65, in 2016.[32]

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Season GP W L W–L% Finish Playoffs
2017–18 82 35 47 .427 3rd, Pacific Did not qualify
2018–19 82 37 45 .451 4th, Pacific Did not qualify
2019–20 71 52 19 .732 1st, Pacific NBA champions, 4–2 (Heat)
2020–21 72 42 30 .583 3rd, Pacific Lost in First Round, 2–4 (Suns)
2021–22 82 33 49 .402 4th, Pacific Did not qualify

Franchise and NBA records

Further information: Los Angeles Lakers accomplishments and records

Bryant holds most individual team records for longevity including most games played (1,333), and most minutes logged (48,298). Johnson holds all significant assist records for the club including career assists (10,141), assists in a game (24), and highest assist average for a season (13.1). Johnson also has the most triple doubles, with his 138 over 100 more than the next closest player (Bryant; 17). Elmore Smith holds team records for blocks in a game (17), blocks per game for a season (4.85), and career blocks per game (3.93). The scoring records are mostly shared by Elgin Baylor and Bryant, with Baylor having the highest average for a career (27.4) while Bryant has the highest points scored in a single game (81). Baylor, Bryant and West hold the top five single-season scoring averages, with Bryant occupying the first (35.4) and fourth (31.6) spots, while Baylor has the second (34.8), and third (34.0), and West the fifth (31.3).[332][333]

The Lakers hold several NBA records as a team including most consecutive games won overall (33) and most consecutive road games won (16), both of which came during the 1971–72 season,[334] highest field-goal percentage for a season at 54.5% (1984–85),[335] and highest road winning percentage at 0.816 (1971–72).[61] They also hold records for having (into the 2009–10 season) the most wins (3,027), the highest winning percentage (61.9%), and the most NBA Finals appearances (31).[32][336] The 2000–01 team set the NBA record for best playoff record at 15–1, which was later broken by the Golden State Warriors in 2017.[337] The 1971–72 team holds franchise records in wins (69), most points scored, and largest margin of victory; both of the latter came in the team's 63 point win versus Golden State (162–99).[338] They also held the record for most wins at home in the regular season (going 36–5 in 1971–72, then 37–4 in both 1976–77 and 1979–80) unil the Boston Celtics set the current record of 40–1 in the 1985–86 season.

Home arenas

 
 
The Forum (left), served as the Lakers' home arena from 1967 to 1999, before they moved to their present home, the Crypto.com Arena (right).

The Lakers play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, located at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles. The arena opened in fall 1999 and seats up to 18,997 for Lakers games.[339] Owned and operated by AEG and L.A. Arena Company, the arena is also home to the Los Angeles Clippers, the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings.[339] Before moving to Staples Center, for 32 seasons (1967–1999), the Lakers played their home games at The Forum in Inglewood, California, located approximately 10 miles southwest of the team's current home.[162] During the 1999 preseason, the Lakers played their home games at the Forum before officially moving into Crypto.com Arena, and once again hosted a preseason game versus the Golden State Warriors on October 9, 2009, this time to commemorate the team's 50th anniversary season in Los Angeles.[340]

In the first seven years in Los Angeles, the team played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, south of Downtown Los Angeles.[341] While the team played in Minneapolis, the team played their home games at the Minneapolis Auditorium from 1947 to 1960.[342]

Players

For the complete list of Los Angeles Lakers players, see Los Angeles Lakers all-time roster.

Current roster

Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY-MM-DD) From
G 21 Beverley, Patrick 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1988-07-12 Arkansas
G/F 7 Brown, Troy, Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-07-28 Oregon
C 31 Bryant, Thomas 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 248 lb (112 kg) 1997-07-31 Indiana
G 10 Christie, Max 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-02-10 Michigan State
F/C 3 Davis, Anthony 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 1993-03-11 Kentucky
F 35 Gabriel, Wenyen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1997-03-26 Kentucky
F 28 Hachimura, Rui 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1998-02-08 Gonzaga
F 6 James, LeBron 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1984-12-30 St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH)
C 30 Jones, Damian 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1995-06-30 Vanderbilt
G 14 Pippen, Scotty, Jr. (TW) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-11-10 Vanderbilt
G 15 Reaves, Austin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1998-05-29 Oklahoma
G 17 Schröder, Dennis 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 1993-09-15 Germany
F 20 Swider, Cole (TW) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1999-05-08 Syracuse
F 95 Toscano-Anderson, Juan 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1993-04-10 Marquette
G 4 Walker, Lonnie, IV 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 204 lb (93 kg) 1998-12-14 Miami (FL)
G 0 Westbrook, Russell 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1988-11-12 UCLA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • (L) On leave from the team
  •   Injured

Roster
Last transaction: January 28, 2023

Retained draft rights

The Lakers hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA.[343] A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[344] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

Draft Round Pick Player Pos. Nationality Current team Note(s) Ref
2014 2 57 Louis Labeyrie F/C   France UNICS Kazan (Russia) Acquired from the New York Knicks [345]
2009 2 59 Chinemelu Elonu F/C   Nigeria Al-Jahra (Kuwait) [346]

Draft picks

Main article: List of Los Angeles Lakers first and second round draft picks

The Lakers have had three first overall picks in their history: Elgin Baylor (selected in 1958), Magic Johnson (selected in 1979) and James Worthy (selected in 1982).[347] The Lakers have also had six lottery picks in their history: Eddie Jones (selected tenth overall in 1994), Andrew Bynum (selected tenth overall in 2005), Julius Randle (selected seventh overall in 2014), D'Angelo Russell (selected second overall in 2015), Brandon Ingram (selected second overall in 2016), and Lonzo Ball (selected second overall in 2017).[347] Other draft picks include Jerry West and Gail Goodrich in the 1960s, Michael Cooper and Norm Nixon in the 1970s, A.C. Green and Vlade Divac in the 1980s, Elden Campbell, Nick Van Exel, Derek Fisher, and Devean George in the 1990s, and Luke Walton, Sasha Vujačić, and Ronny Turiaf in the 2000s.[347]

Head coaches

 
Former head coach Phil Jackson led the team to five championships.
Main article: List of Los Angeles Lakers head coaches

There have been 22 head coaches for the Lakers franchise. John Kundla coached the team in Minneapolis when they won their first five BAA/NBA championships from 1949 to 1954.[47] Pat Riley is second in franchise history in both regular season and playoff games coached and wins.[348] Phil Jackson broke Riley's regular-season wins record in 2009, and he passed Riley's playoff wins and games coached records in 2010.[348] Jackson, Riley, Kundla, and Bill Sharman have all been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for their coaching careers. George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott and Luke Walton have all played and head-coached for the Lakers. Jackson, who had two stints as head coach, was coach from 2005 to 2011. In May 2011, Mike Brown was named his replacement for the 2011–12 season.[349] Brown was fired[350] on November 9, 2012, after a 1–4 start. Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff served as interim head coach for five games before the Lakers selected Mike D'Antoni as their new head coach. D'Antoni resigned at the end of the 2013–14 season. In July 2014, Byron Scott was hired as head coach.[351] After the 2015–16 season ended, Scott was fired. On April 29, 2016, former Lakers player Luke Walton was named as Scott's replacement,[352] and served as head coach until the end of the 2018–19 season.[353] Frank Vogel was named his successor on a multiyear deal announced on May 13, 2019.[354] Vogel was fired following the conclusion of the 2021–22 season.[355]

Hall of Famers, retired and honored numbers

The Lakers have 38 Hall of Famers (28 players, 5 head coaches, 1 assistant coach, and 4 contributors) who contributed to the organization.[356][357][358]

Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famers
Players
No. Name Position Tenure Inducted No. Name Position Tenure Inducted
99 George Mikan 1 C 1948–1954
1955–1956		 1959[359] 22 Elgin Baylor F 1958–1971 1977[360]
17 Jim Pollard 2 F 1948–1955 1978 13 Wilt Chamberlain C 1968–1973 1979[361]
44 Jerry West 3 5 G 1960–1974 1980[362] 22 Slater Martin G 1949–1956 1982
34
89		 Clyde Lovellette F/C 1953–1957 1988 42 Connie Hawkins F/C 1973–1975 1992
19 Vern Mikkelsen F 1949–1959 1995 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 1975–1989 1995[363]
11
25		 Gail Goodrich G 1965–1968
1970–1976		 1996 11 Bob McAdoo F/C 1981–1985 2000
32 Magic Johnson 4 6 G 1979–1991
1996		 2002[364] 00
42		 James Worthy F 1982–1994 2003
4 Adrian Dantley F 1977–1979 2008 11 Karl Malone 7 F 2003–2004 2010
73 Dennis Rodman F 1999 2011 52 Jamaal Wilkes F 1977–1985 2012
20 Gary Payton G 2003–2004 2013 23 Mitch Richmond G 2001–2002 2014
31 Spencer Haywood F 1979–1980 2015 31 Zelmo Beaty C 1974–1975 2016
34 Shaquille O'Neal C 1996–2004 2016[365] 11 Charlie Scott G 1977–1978 2018
10 Steve Nash G 2012–2015 2018[366] 12 Vlade Divac C 1989–1996
2004–2005		 2019
8
24		 Kobe Bryant G 1996–2016 2020[367] 23 Lou Hudson F/G 1977–1979 2022
Coaches
Name Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure Inducted
John Kundla Head coach 1948–1957
1958–1959		 1995 Bill Sharman Head coach 1971–1976 2004
Phil Jackson Head coach 1999–2004
2005–2011		 2007 12 Pat Riley 8 Assistant coach
Head coach		 1979–1981 (assistant)
1981–1990 (head)		 2008
Tex Winter Assistant coach 1999–2008 2011 Rudy Tomjanovich Head coach 2004–2005 2020
Contributors
Name Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure Inducted
Pete Newell9 General manager 1972–1976 1979   Chick Hearn Broadcaster 1961–2002 2003
Jerry Buss Owner 1979–2013 2010 Del Harris Head coach 1994–1999 2022

Notes:

  • 1 He also coached the team in 1957–1958.
  • 2 He also coached the team in 1960.
  • 3 He also coached the team in 1976–1979.
  • 4 He also coached the team in 1994.
  • 5 In total, West was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team.
  • 6 In total, Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team.
  • 7 In total, Malone was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as player and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team.
  • 8 He also played for the team in 1970–1975.
  • 9 In total, Newell was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice – as contributor and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team.

FIBA Hall of Famers

Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famers
Players
No. Name Position Tenure Inducted
12 Vlade Divac C 1989–1996
2004–2005		 2010
34 Shaquille O'Neal C 1996–2004 2017
10 Steve Nash G 2012–2015 2020

Retired numbers

 
Lakers retired jerseys hanging inside the Crypto.com Arena in 2013

The Lakers have retired twelve jersey numbers and an honorary microphone in honor of their players and broadcaster:[368][369][370][371][372]

Los Angeles Lakers retired numbers
No. Player Position Tenure Ceremony date
8 Kobe Bryant G 1996–2006 December 18, 2017
13 Wilt Chamberlain C 1968–1973 November 9, 1983
22 Elgin Baylor F 1958–1971 November 9, 1983
24 Kobe Bryant G 2006–2016 December 18, 2017
25 Gail Goodrich G 1965–1968
1970–1976		 November 20, 1996
32 Magic Johnson G 1979–1991
1996		 February 16, 1992
33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 1975–1989 March 20, 1990
34 Shaquille O'Neal C 1996–2004 April 2, 2013
42 James Worthy F 1982–1994 December 10, 1995
44 Jerry West G 1960–1974 November 19, 1983
52 Jamaal Wilkes F 1977–1985 December 28, 2012
99 George Mikan C 1948–1954
1956		 October 30, 2022
  Chick Hearn Broadcaster 1961–2002 December 2, 2002

In addition, several other players and coaches who were instrumental to the franchise's success during its days in Minneapolis were named Honored Minneapolis Lakers, although their numbers are not retired by the franchise:[375]

Minneapolis Lakers honored numbers
No. Player Position Tenure
17 Jim Pollard F 1948–1955
19 Vern Mikkelsen F 1949–1959
22 Slater Martin G 1949–1956
34 Clyde Lovellette F/C 1953–1957
John Kundla Head coach 1948–1957
1958–1959

Media

Main article: List of Los Angeles Lakers broadcasters

For 41 years, Chick Hearn was the team's broadcaster until his death in 2002. He broadcast 3,338 consecutive games between November 21, 1965, and December 16, 2001.[376] Hearn came up with West's "Mr. Clutch" nickname.[377] He was a part of the team's "inner sanctum" when Cooke was owner, and was consulted on basketball decisions.[378] Paul Sunderland, who had filled in for a couple of games while Hearn recuperated in the 2001–02 season, was named the permanent play-by-play announcer. Stu Lantz was retained as the color commentator.[379] When Sunderland's contract expired in the summer of 2005, the team chose not to renew it.[380] Then, Joel Meyers moved in alongside Lantz as the television announcer, with Spero Dedes and former Laker player Mychal Thompson on the radio.[381]

For the 2011–12 season, Bill Macdonald became the new television play-by-play announcer, joining Lantz who remained as the color analyst. Meanwhile, John Ireland joined Mychal Thompson to call the games on radio.[382]

Beginning in the 2009–10 season, Lakers radio broadcasts were heard on KSPN (Los Angeles ESPN Radio affiliate) in English and KWKW in Spanish.[381][383] KLAC had the team's radio broadcast rights from the 1976–77 season until the 2008–09 season.[383][384] Until 2011, telecasts had been split between KCAL-TV (road games) and Fox Sports West (home games), unless they are chosen for national broadcasts on ABC.[385] KCAL had been the Lakers' over-the-air television broadcaster since 1977, dating back to when the station was the RKO General-owned KHJ-TV, the longest relationship between an NBA team and a television station. Prior to KHJ, Laker games were televised on KTLA. The Lakers had been on Fox Sports West since 1985, dating to when it was the original Prime Ticket and owned by Buss.[386]

On February 14, 2011, Time Warner Cable and the Lakers announced the formation of two new regional sports networks (one in English, one in Spanish) that would exclusively televise the team's games and related programming for 20 years starting with the 2012–13 season.[387] The said networks were originally known as Time Warner Cable SportsNet, before it was renamed Spectrum SportsNet in 2016 upon Charter Communications' purchase of Time Warner Cable.[388]

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Further reading

February 09, 2023
angeles, lakers, lakers, redirects, here, league, team, south, lakers, other, uses, laker, disambiguation, american, professional, basketball, team, based, angeles, lakers, compete, national, basketball, association, member, league, western, conference, pacifi. Lakers redirects here For the NBA G League team see South Bay Lakers For other uses see Laker disambiguation The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association NBA as a member of the league s Western Conference Pacific Division The Lakers play their home games at Crypto com Arena an arena shared with the NBA s Los Angeles Clippers the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women s National Basketball Association and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League 9 The Lakers are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA and have won 17 NBA championships tied with the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history 10 Los Angeles Lakers2022 23 Los Angeles Lakers seasonConferenceWesternDivisionPacificFounded1947HistoryMinneapolis Lakers1947 1948 NBL 1948 1960 NBA Los Angeles Lakers1960 present 1 2 3 ArenaCrypto com ArenaLocationLos Angeles CaliforniaTeam colorsPurple gold black 4 5 6 Main sponsorBibigo 7 PresidentJeanie BussGeneral managerRob PelinkaHead coachDarvin HamOwnershipBuss Family Trusts majority 8 Jeanie Buss controlling owner Philip Anschutz Edward P Roski and Patrick Soon Shiong minority Affiliation s South Bay LakersChampionships17 1949 1950 1952 1953 1954 1972 1980 1982 1985 1987 1988 2000 2001 2002 2009 2010 2020 Conference titles19 1972 1973 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1987 1988 1989 1991 2000 2001 2002 2004 2008 2009 2010 2020 Division titles33 1950 1951 1953 1954 1962 1963 1965 1966 1969 1971 1972 1973 1974 1977 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 2000 2001 2004 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2020 Retired numbers12 8 13 22 24 25 32 33 34 42 44 52 99 Websitewww wbr nba wbr com wbr lakersAssociationIconStatementClassicThe franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League NBL The new team began playing in Minneapolis Minnesota calling themselves the Minneapolis Lakers 11 Initially a member of the NBL the Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the rival Basketball Association of America where they would win five of the next six championships led by star George Mikan 12 After struggling financially in the late 1950s following Mikan s retirement they relocated to Los Angeles before the 1960 61 season Led by Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West Los Angeles made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s but lost every series to the Celtics beginning their long and storied rivalry In 1968 the Lakers acquired four time NBA Most Valuable Player MVP Wilt Chamberlain and won their sixth NBA title and first in Los Angeles in 1972 led by new head coach Bill Sharman After the retirement of West and Chamberlain the team traded for superstar Kareem Abdul Jabbar who would win three MVP awards as a Laker While the team was unable to advance to the Finals in the late 1970s two momentous changes came in 1979 that would inaugurate a new golden era for the franchise First Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers and as the team s owner pioneered a vision of basketball games as entertainment spectacles as well as sporting events 13 Second the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson first overall in the 1979 NBA draft The combination of Johnson a passing prodigy point guard and a dominant center in Abdul Jabbar provided the Lakers with two superstars to anchor their roster The promotion of head coach Pat Riley in 1981 and the addition of forward James Worthy through the 1982 draft established the Lakers as an NBA powerhouse throughout the 1980s The team was nicknamed the Showtime Lakers due to its fast break transition offense facilitated by Johnson The franchise won five championships in a nine year span including winning two out of three marquee Finals matchups against the Celtics The Lakers were defeated by their Boston archrivals in the 1984 Finals but triumphed over the Celtics in 1985 and 1987 After Riley departed and Abdul Jabbar Johnson and Worthy all retired the Lakers struggled in the early 1990s It was not until 1996 when the team traded with the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant and signed star center Shaquille O Neal that the Lakers returned to dominance during the early 2000s The superstar duo of Bryant and O Neal along with Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson led the Lakers to three consecutive championships between 2000 to 2002 securing the franchise s second three peat 14 The dynamic but tumultuous Shaq and Kobe era ended when the Lakers traded away O Neal after the team lost to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals It was not until after the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol that Bryant and Jackson returned to the NBA Finals losing to the Celtics in 2008 but winning two more championships in 2009 and 2010 The 2010 Finals marked the latest matchup of the Lakers and Celtics with Los Angeles winning its 16th title against its ancient rival in a seven game series Jackson retired from coaching in 2011 and after a string of tumultuous playoff exits the Lakers endured their longest playoff drought in franchise history Gasol departed as a free agent in 2014 and Bryant retired in 2016 after twenty years as a Laker After multiple rebuilding seasons with young highly rated prospects the Lakers signed superstar LeBron James in 2018 15 In 2019 the team traded several of those prospects for star big man Anthony Davis 16 The Lakers led by James Davis and head coach Frank Vogel won the team s 17th championship in 2020 tying the Celtics for the most titles in NBA history 17 The Lakers hold the record for NBA s longest winning streak 33 straight games set during the 1971 72 season 18 Twenty six Hall of Famers have played for Los Angeles while four have coached the team Four players Abdul Jabbar Johnson O Neal and Bryant have won a combined eight NBA MVP awards with the Lakers 19 Contents 1 Franchise history 1 1 1947 1954 Beginnings and Minneapolis dynasty with George Mikan 1 2 1954 1958 Post Mikan dry spell 1 3 1958 1968 Move to Los Angeles and Celtics rivalry 1 4 1968 1973 The arrival of Wilt Chamberlain 1 5 1973 1979 Building Showtime 1 6 1979 1991 Showtime 1 7 1991 1996 Post Showtime dry spell 1 8 1996 2004 O Neal and Bryant dynasty 1 9 2004 2016 The Kobe Bryant era 1 9 1 2004 2007 Rebuilding 1 9 2 2007 2011 Bryant and Gasol duo 1 9 3 2011 2016 Post Jackson era 1 10 2016 2018 Post Bryant era 1 11 2018 present The LeBron James era 1 11 1 2018 2019 The arrival of LeBron James 1 11 2 2019 present James and Davis era 2 Rivalries 2 1 Boston Celtics 2 2 Detroit Pistons 2 3 Los Angeles Clippers 2 4 San Antonio Spurs 3 Ownerships financial history and fanbase 4 Name logo and uniforms 5 Season by season record 6 Franchise and NBA records 7 Home arenas 8 Players 8 1 Current roster 8 2 Retained draft rights 8 3 Draft picks 9 Head coaches 10 Hall of Famers retired and honored numbers 10 1 FIBA Hall of Famers 10 2 Retired numbers 11 Media 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External linksFranchise historyMain article History of the Los Angeles Lakers 1947 1954 Beginnings and Minneapolis dynasty with George Mikan Minneapolis team co owner Benjamin Berger The Lakers franchise began in 1947 when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen of Minnesota purchased the recently disbanded Detroit Gems 20 of the National Basketball League NBL for 15 000 from Gems owner Maury Winston 21 Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman played a key behind the scenes role in helping put together the deal and later the team 22 Inspired by Minnesota s nickname Land of 10 000 Lakes the team christened themselves the Lakers 11 23 Hartman helped them hire John Kundla from College of St Thomas to be their first head coach by meeting with him and selling him on the team 24 25 The Lakers had a solid roster which featured forward Jim Pollard playmaker Herm Schaefer and center George Mikan who became the most dominant player in the NBL 26 In their first season they led the league with a 43 17 record later winning the NBL Championship that season 27 Hall of Famer George Mikan 99 led the Lakers franchise to their first five NBA championships He is described by the NBA s official website as the first superstar in league history 12 In 1948 the Lakers moved from the NBL to the Basketball Association of America BAA and Mikan s 28 3 point per game ppg scoring average set a BAA record In the 1949 BAA Finals they won the championship beating the Washington Capitols four games to two 28 The following season the team improved to 51 17 repeating as champions 29 In the 1950 51 season Mikan won his third straight scoring title at 28 4 ppg and the Lakers went 44 24 to win their second straight division title 30 One of those games a 19 18 loss against the Fort Wayne Pistons became infamous as the lowest scoring game in NBA history 31 In the playoffs they defeated the Indianapolis Olympians in three games but lost to the Rochester Royals in the next round 26 During the 1951 52 season the Lakers won 40 games finishing second in their division 32 They faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals which they won in seven games 33 In the 1952 53 season Mikan led the NBA in rebounding averaging 14 4 rebounds per game rpg and was named MVP of the 1953 NBA All Star Game 30 After a 48 22 regular season the Lakers defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in the Western playoffs to advance to the NBA Finals 33 They then defeated the New York Knicks to win their second straight championship 34 Though Lakers star George Mikan suffered from knee problems throughout the 1953 54 season he was still able to average 18 ppg 35 Clyde Lovellette who was drafted in 1952 helped the team win the Western Division 35 The team won its third straight championship in the 1950s and fifth in six seasons when it defeated the Syracuse Nationals in seven games 34 1954 1958 Post Mikan dry spell Following Mikan s retirement in the 1954 off season the Lakers struggled but still managed to win 40 games Although they defeated the Rochester Royals in the first round of the playoffs they were defeated by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the semifinals 36 Although they had losing records the next two seasons they made the playoffs each year 32 Mikan came back for the last half of the 1955 56 season but struggled and retired for good after the season 37 Led by Lovellette s 20 6 points and 13 5 rebounds they advanced to the Conference Finals in 1956 57 The Lakers had one of the worst seasons in team history in 1957 58 when they won a league low 19 games 38 They had hired Mikan who had been the team s general manager for the previous two seasons as head coach to replace Kundla Mikan was fired in January when the team was 9 30 and Kundla was rehired 32 39 The Lakers earned the top pick in the 1958 NBA draft and used it to select Elgin Baylor Baylor who was named NBA Rookie of the Year and co MVP of the 1959 NBA All Star Game averaged 24 9 ppg and 15 0 rpg helping the Lakers improve to second in their division despite a 33 39 record 40 After upsetting the Hawks in six games in the division finals they returned to the NBA Finals but were swept by the Celtics beginning their long rivalry 41 1958 1968 Move to Los Angeles and Celtics rivalry Elgin Baylor left and Jerry West right led the team to a total of ten NBA Finals appearances in the 1960s and 1970s Nicknamed Mr Clutch West s silhouette is featured on the NBA s official logo 42 43 In their last year in Minneapolis the Lakers went 25 50 On January 18 1960 the team was coming off a loss and traveling to St Louis when their plane crash landed 44 Snow storms had driven the pilot 150 miles off course when he was forced to land in a cornfield No one was hurt 45 Their record earned them the number two pick in the 1960 NBA draft The team selected Jerry West from West Virginia University 46 During the 1960 off season the Lakers became the NBA s first West Coast team when owner Bob Short decided to move the team to Los Angeles 47 Led by Baylor s 34 8 ppg and 19 8 rpg Los Angeles won 11 more than the year before in West s first season 48 On November 15 that season Baylor set a new NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in a victory against the New York Knicks while grabbing 25 rebounds 49 In doing so Baylor broke his own NBA record of 64 points Despite a losing record the Lakers made the playoffs 32 They came within two points of the NBA Finals when they lost in game seven of their second round series against St Louis 50 Led by Baylor and West at 38 3 and 30 8 ppg respectively 51 the Lakers improved to 54 26 in 1961 62 and made the finals In a game five victory Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds and set the still standing NBA record for points in a finals game with 61 52 despite fouling out of the game 53 The Lakers however lost to the Celtics by three points in overtime of game seven 51 Frank Selvy after making two jumpers in the final 40 seconds to tie the game 54 55 missed a potential game winning 18 foot jump shot in regulation a miss which he said in June 2010 still haunted him more than 40 years later 55 Los Angeles won 53 games in 1962 63 behind Baylor s 34 0 ppg and West s 27 1 ppg 56 but lost in the NBA Finals in six games to the Celtics 56 After falling to 42 38 and losing in the first round of the 1964 NBA playoffs to the Hawks the team won 49 games in 1964 65 The Lakers surged past the Baltimore Bullets in the division finals behind West s record setting 46 3 ppg in the series 57 They lost again to Celtics in the Finals however this time in five games 58 Los Angeles lost in the finals to Boston in seven games again in 1966 this time by two points 59 Down by 16 entering the fourth quarter and 10 with a minute and a half to go the Lakers mounted a furious rally in the closing moments which fell just short 60 After dropping to 36 wins and losing in the first round of the 1967 NBA playoffs they lost in the finals to the Celtics again in 1968 32 Los Angeles moved to a brand new arena The Forum in 1967 after playing seven seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 1968 1973 The arrival of Wilt Chamberlain Wilt Chamberlain played for Los Angeles for five seasons during the late 1960s and early 1970s He was an integral part of their 1971 72 team that is considered one of the best in NBA history 61 On July 9 1968 the team acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers for Darrell Imhoff Archie Clark and Jerry Chambers 62 In his first season as a Laker Chamberlain set a team record by averaging a league leading 21 1 rpg 63 West Baylor and Chamberlain each averaged over 20 points and Los Angeles won their division 64 The Lakers and Celtics again met in the finals and Los Angeles had home court advantage against Boston for the first time in their rivalry They won the first game behind Jerry West s 53 points 65 and had a 3 2 lead after five 66 Boston won the series in seven games however 67 and earned their 11th NBA Championship in 13 seasons 68 West was named the first ever Finals MVP this remains the only time that a member of the losing team has won the award 69 In 1970 West won his first scoring title at 31 2 ppg the team returned to the finals and for the first time in 16 years they did not have to face the Celtics instead playing the New York Knicks who defeated them 4 3 70 71 The next season the Lakers were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks led by future Laker Lew Alcindor now known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar in the Western Conference Finals 72 The 1971 72 season brought several changes Owner Jack Kent Cooke brought in Bill Sharman as head coach 73 and Elgin Baylor announced his retirement early in the season after realizing that his legs were not healthy enough 73 Sharman increased the team s discipline 74 He introduced the concept of the shootaround where players would arrive at the arena early in the morning before a game to practice shots 75 They won 14 straight games in November and all 16 games played in December 73 They won three straight to open the year of 1972 but on January 9 the Milwaukee Bucks ended their winning streak by defeating the Lakers 120 104 76 By winning 33 straight games Los Angeles set a record for longest winning streak of any team in major American professional team sports 77 78 The Lakers won 69 games that season which stood as the NBA record for 24 years until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1995 96 79 Chamberlain averaged a low 14 8 points but led the league in rebounding at 19 2 a game 80 West s 9 7 assists per game apg led the league he also averaged more than 25 points and was named MVP of the 1972 NBA All Star Game 80 The team failed to score 100 points just once all year 81 and at the end of the season Bill Sharman was named Coach of the Year 82 The Lakers went on to reach the finals against the New York Knicks where they would avenge their 1970 finals loss by defeating them 4 games to 1 Chamberlain tallied 24 points and 29 rebounds in game five and won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award 83 84 The Lakers won 60 games in the 1972 73 season and took another Pacific Division title 85 Wilt Chamberlain playing in his final season again led the league in rebounding and set the still standing NBA record for field goal percentage at 72 7 85 The team defeated the Chicago Bulls in seven games in the conference semifinals then the Golden State Warriors in five in the Western Division Finals 85 They played the New York Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals Los Angeles took the first game by three points but New York won the series in five games 86 1973 1979 Building Showtime During the 1973 74 season the team was hampered by the loss of West who played only 31 games before his legs gave out 87 Goodrich averaging 25 3 points helped the team to a late season surge 87 Trailing the Golden State Warriors by three games with seven left to play the Lakers rallied to finish 47 35 and win the Pacific Division 87 They made the playoffs but managed just one win against Milwaukee in the conference semifinals Following the season West retired due to contract disagreements with Cooke and filed a suit for unpaid back wages 88 The Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1975 After missing the playoffs in the 1974 75 season the Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul Jabbar who had won three league MVPs by that time 89 Abdul Jabbar wanted out of Milwaukee demanding a trade to either New York or Los Angeles 90 He was traded for Elmore Smith Brian Winters Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers Abdul Jabbar had his fourth MVP season in 1975 76 leading the league in rebounding blocked shots and minutes played 91 The Lakers struggled in January going 3 10 and finished out of the playoffs at 40 42 91 West and Cooke settled their differences and the former Laker s lawsuit and Cooke hired him to replace Sharman as the team s coach 92 West became upset however when Cooke refused to spend the money necessary to acquire forward Julius Erving who the Nets were selling 93 Behind another MVP season from Abdul Jabbar Los Angeles won the Pacific Division finishing the 1976 77 season a league best 53 29 94 They defeated the Warriors in a seven game series to open the postseason before being swept by Portland in the Western Conference Finals 91 During the off season Los Angeles picked up Jamaal Wilkes from Golden State and signed first round draft pick Norm Nixon In the first two minutes of the first game of the 1977 78 season Abdul Jabbar punched Bucks center Kent Benson for an overly aggressive elbow and broke his hand 95 Two months later a healthy Abdul Jabbar got into an altercation with Houston Rockets center Kevin Kunnert after a rebound The team s starting power forward Kermit Washington who was averaging 11 5 points and 11 2 rebounds 96 entered the fight and when Rudy Tomjanovich ran in from the bench to break up the action Washington punched him in the face 97 Tomjanovich nearly died from the punch suffering a fractured skull and other facial injuries which prematurely ended his playing career 98 Washington who stated that he assumed Tomjanovich was a combatant was suspended for two months by the NBA and released by the Lakers 99 The team won 45 games despite being down a starter in Washington and not having Abdul Jabbar for nearly two months but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle 100 During the 1978 79 season the team posted a 47 35 record but lost to the SuperSonics in the semifinal round of the playoffs 91 1979 1991 Showtime Further information Showtime basketball Magic Johnson along with Kareem Abdul Jabbar led the Showtime Lakers to five NBA titles in the 1980s In the 1979 NBA draft Los Angeles selected 6 foot 9 inch point guard Magic Johnson from Michigan State with the first overall pick 101 It took Johnson s teammates time to acclimate themselves to his passing ability as his no look passes often caught them unaware Once they adjusted his passing became a key part of Los Angeles offense 102 The Lakers won 60 games in Johnson s rookie year and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the 1980 NBA Finals Johnson won the Finals MVP award after starting at center for the injured Abdul Jabbar in game six and tallying 42 points 15 rebounds and seven assists 103 The team fell off in the 1980 81 season though as the Lakers lost Johnson for most of the season to a knee injury 104 The team turned in a 54 28 record and finished second behind the Phoenix Suns in the Pacific Division 104 The Rockets led by Moses Malone defeated Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs 104 Early in the 1981 82 season Johnson complained to the media about head coach Paul Westhead and demanded a trade 105 Westhead was fired shortly after Johnson s criticisms and although Lakers owner Jerry Buss stated that Johnson s comments did not factor into the decision Johnson was vilified by the national media and booed both on the road and at home 106 107 108 Buss promoted assistant coach Pat Riley to co head coach with Jerry West although West considered himself Riley s assistant on November 19 and the team won 17 of its next 20 games 104 109 110 Nicknamed Showtime due to the team s new Johnson led fast break offense the Lakers won the Pacific Division title and swept both the Suns and Spurs in the 1982 playoffs 111 Los Angeles stretched its postseason winning streak to nine games by taking the first contest of the NBA Finals from the 76ers 104 112 The team won the Finals 4 2 to finish a 12 2 playoff run 104 On draft night in 1982 the Lakers had the first overall pick the result of a trade with Cleveland midway through the 1979 80 season when the Lakers had sent Don Ford and a 1980 first round pick to the Cavaliers for Butch Lee and their 1982 selection and selected James Worthy from North Carolina 113 The Lakers won the Pacific Division at 58 24 but Worthy suffered a leg injury in the last week of the season and missed the rest of the season 114 Nevertheless they advanced to play Philadelphia in the 1983 NBA Finals after defeating Portland and San Antonio 114 The Sixers however won the series and the championship in four games 113 After the season West replaced Sharman as the team s GM 115 In the 1983 84 season Los Angeles went 54 28 and played Boston in the Finals for the first time since 1969 116 The Lakers won two of the first three games However Kevin McHale s hard clothesline foul of Lakers forward Kurt Rambis on a fast break is credited as a turning point of the series 117 Boston won three of the next four to win the title and send Los Angeles s record to 0 8 in Finals series against the Celtics 116 Using the past year s Finals defeat as motivation the team won the Pacific Division for the fourth straight year and lost just two games in the Western Conference playoffs In the NBA Finals the Celtics were again the Lakers final hurdle Los Angeles lost game one of the NBA Finals by a score of 148 114 in what is remembered as the Memorial Day Massacre 118 The Lakers behind 38 year old Finals MVP Abdul Jabbar recovered to defeat the Celtics in six games 119 The team won the title in the Boston Garden becoming the only visiting team to ever win an NBA championship there 118 Los Angeles drafted James Worthy first overall in 1982 Big Game James recorded his only career triple double in the Lakers game seven victory over the Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals 120 In the 1985 86 season the Lakers started 24 3 and went on to win 62 games and their fifth straight division title 121 The Rockets however defeated the Lakers in five games in the Western Conference Finals Houston won the series when Ralph Sampson hit a 20 foot jumper as time expired in game five at The Forum 121 Prior to the 1986 87 season the Lakers moved A C Green into the starting lineup and acquired Mychal Thompson from the Spurs 122 Johnson won his first career MVP Award while leading the Lakers to a 65 17 record 122 and Michael Cooper was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year 122 Before the season Riley had made the decision to shift the focus of the offense to Johnson over the 40 year old Abdul Jabbar 123 The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals by sweeping the Nuggets defeating the Warriors in five games and sweeping the SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals 124 The Lakers defeated Boston in the first two games of the Finals and the teams split the next four games giving Los Angeles their second championship in three seasons 122 The series was highlighted by Johnson s running baby hook shot to win game four at Boston Garden with two seconds remaining 125 Johnson was named the NBA Finals MVP in addition to regular season MVP 126 At the Lakers championship celebration in Los Angeles coach Riley brashly declared that Los Angeles would repeat as NBA champions 122 which no team had done since the 1968 69 Boston Celtics Looking to make good on Riley s promise in the 1987 88 season the Lakers took their seventh consecutive Pacific Division title with a 62 20 record They swept the Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference Finals before pulling out a tough seven game series win over the Utah Jazz led by youngsters Karl Malone and John Stockton A seven game Western Conference finals win over the Dallas Mavericks propelled the Lakers to the NBA Finals once again In their seventh trip to the Finals in nine years they met the Detroit Pistons Los Angeles would take the series in seven games and James Worthy s game seven triple double earned him a Finals MVP award 127 The win marked their fifth title in nine years but would also mark their last title until 2000 In the 1988 89 season Los Angeles won 57 games and their eighth consecutive Pacific Division crown They swept through the playoffs defeating Portland Seattle and Phoenix In an eighth trip to the NBA Finals in 10 years they once again faced the Detroit Pistons 128 Hampered by injuries to Byron Scott and Johnson the Lakers were swept by Detroit 129 Following the 1989 Finals on June 28 1989 after 20 professional seasons Kareem Abdul Jabbar announced his retirement The Lakers still cruised through the Pacific Division winning their ninth consecutive division crown with a 63 19 record However after beating the Rockets in the first round they lost four games to one in the second round of the playoffs to the Suns 130 Riley announced he was stepping down after the season citing burnout 131 and was replaced by Mike Dunleavy 132 Riley s departure received a mixed reaction from the players They respected his contributions but some such as Worthy and Scott had grown tired of his intense practices and felt he tried to take too much credit for the team s successes 133 Following the season 1987 Defensive Player of the Year winner Michael Cooper decided to play in Europe and was waived at his request 134 The 1990 91 Lakers failed to win the Pacific Division for the first time in 10 years but still finished with a 58 24 record After cruising through the Western Conference playoffs the Lakers found themselves in the NBA Finals once again their ninth trip to the Finals in 12 years The 1991 Finals represented a changing of the guard as the Lakers were defeated in five games by the Chicago Bulls led by superstar Michael Jordan 135 1991 1996 Post Showtime dry spell On November 7 1991 Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and would retire immediately 136 In their first season without Johnson the team won 43 games to earn the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs 32 The Lakers were defeated in the first round by Portland Following the season head coach Mike Dunleavy was fired The Lakers would lose 43 games in 1992 93 under Randy Pfund their first losing season since 1976 The Lakers would still make the playoffs and would become the first eighth seed to win the opening two games on the road against a number one seed when they took a 2 0 lead against Phoenix 137 They lost the next two games at home however then game five in Phoenix in overtime 137 During the 1993 94 season Pfund was fired during the season that would result in the Lakers failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 1976 Magic Johnson would coach the final 16 games of the season with former teammate Michael Cooper as his lead assistant 138 Johnson decided not to take the job permanently due to what he felt was a lack of commitment from certain players and Los Angeles ended the season with a 10 game losing streak to finish 33 49 139 140 Under new coach Del Harris Los Angeles made the playoffs each of the next two seasons but was eliminated in the second and first rounds respectively 141 142 The team was led by young guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones 143 Johnson came out of retirement to return as a player in the 1995 96 season to lead the then 24 18 Lakers to a 29 11 finish 144 After some run ins with Van Exel displeasure with Harris s strategies and a first round loss to the Rockets Johnson decided to retire for the final time after the season 145 1996 2004 O Neal and Bryant dynasty Championship banners from Minneapolis and Los Angeles amp retired jerseys hanging in the rafters of Crypto com Arena in 2022 During the 1996 off season the Lakers acquired 17 year old Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets for Vlade Divac Bryant was drafted 13th overall out of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore Pennsylvania in that year s draft by Charlotte Los Angeles also signed free agent Shaquille O Neal 146 Trading for Bryant was West s idea and he was influential in the team s signing of the all star center 147 Jerry West is the reason I came to the Lakers O Neal later said 148 They used their 24th pick in the draft to select Derek Fisher 149 During the season the team traded Cedric Ceballos to Phoenix for Robert Horry 150 O Neal led the team to a 56 26 record their best effort since 1990 91 despite missing 31 games due to a knee injury 151 O Neal averaged 26 2 ppg and 12 5 rpg and finished third in the league in blocked shots 2 88 bpg in 51 games 151 152 The Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs as O Neal scored 46 points in Game 1 against the Trail Blazers marking the highest single game playoff scoring output by a Laker since Jerry West scored 53 against the Celtics in 1969 151 In the next round the Lakers lost in five games to the Utah Jazz 151 In the 1997 98 season O Neal and the Lakers had the best start in franchise history 11 0 153 O Neal would miss 20 games on the season due to an abdominal injury 153 Los Angeles battled Seattle for the Pacific Division title most of the season In the final two months the Lakers won 22 of their final 25 games 153 finishing 61 21 but still finished second to Seattle in the standings 153 The Lakers defeated Portland three games to one in the first round to advance to face Seattle Although the Sonics won the first game the Lakers responded with four straight wins taking the series 153 but were swept by the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals 153 During the 1998 99 season All Star guard Eddie Jones and center Elden Campbell were traded to the Charlotte Hornets 154 The team also acquired J R Reid B J Armstrong and Glen Rice 155 Head coach Del Harris was fired in February after a three game losing streak and replaced on an interim basis by former Laker Kurt Rambis 156 The team finished 31 19 in the strike shortened season which was fourth in the Western Conference 157 The Lakers defeated Houston in the first round of the playoffs but were swept by San Antonio in the next round Game four of the series would be the last game ever played at the Great Western Forum 158 The Lakers at the White House following their 2001 NBA championship Before the 1999 2000 season West was prepared to hire Rambis as the team s full time coach before an outcry from fans and members of the organization caused him to seek out a bigger name 159 Los Angeles hired former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson who had coached that team to six championships and gave him a lucrative 6 million a year contract 160 He brought along assistant Tex Winter and they installed Winter s version of the triangle offense 161 The Lakers signed veterans Brian Shaw John Salley Ron Harper and A C Green who was a Laker during the Showtime era 150 The team also moved to a new arena the Staples Center 162 Led by league MVP O Neal the Lakers won 31 of their first 36 games 163 They finished 67 15 the highest win total since they won 65 in the 1986 87 season 163 The eliminated Sacramento and Phoenix in the first two rounds of the playoffs 164 After the Lakers took a three games to one lead in the Western Conference Finals against Portland the Trail Blazers won the next two games to force a game seven 165 The Lakers who trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter would go on 19 4 run to tie the game and eventually win 89 84 to advance to the NBA Finals 165 In their first trip to the Finals since 1991 the Lakers defeated Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers four games to two win their first title since 1988 166 West retired from his spot in the team s front office after the season after a power struggle between him and Jackson over control of the team s operations 167 After the season starters Rice and Green left the team 168 and Los Angeles signed Horace Grant 169 The following season the Lakers won 11 fewer regular season games than the prior year 170 but swept the first three rounds of the playoffs defeating the Portland Sacramento and San Antonio 171 They met Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals Although the Sixers took game one in overtime 172 the Lakers won the next four games to win their second straight title Their 15 1 postseason record was the best in NBA history 173 Shaquille O Neal left and Kobe Bryant right helped the Lakers win three straight NBA titles Though they played well together on the court the pair had an acrimonious relationship at times in the locker room 174 175 The Lakers won 58 games in 2001 02 In the playoffs they swept Portland and defeated San Antonio four games to one to advance to the Western Conference Finals to face Sacramento 176 The series would go on to be known as one of the greatest playoff matchups in NBA history The series extended to all seven games and ended in a Lakers victory 177 In game one Bryant scored 30 points as the Lakers won 106 99 The series would then shift in Sacramento s favor with the Kings winning the next two games Facing a deficit in game 4 the Lakers had the ball with under 20 seconds to play After misses by both Bryant and O Neal Kings center Vlade Divac tapped the ball away from the rim in an attempt to wind down the clock It went straight into Robert Horry s hands who drained a game winning three with under three seconds to play After the Kings won game five on a buzzer beater by Mike Bibby the Lakers were faced with a must win game six In one of the most controversial playoff games in league history Tim Donaghy s betting scandal the Lakers would win by four points 178 The Lakers went on to win game seven in overtime with the Kings missing numerous potentially game saving shots and free throws The Lakers then achieved a three peat by sweeping Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals 179 O Neal won each of the Finals series MVP awards making him the only player besides Michael Jordan to win three consecutive Finals MVPs 180 The Lakers would attempt a four peat the following year but started the 2002 03 season 11 19 181 However they finished the season 39 13 to finish 50 32 182 They defeated Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs but the four peat attempt ended as they were eliminated by San Antonio in six games in the second round 183 During the 2003 04 season the team was the subject of intense media coverage generated by the teaming of four stars and the sexual assault case involving Kobe Bryant 184 185 Before the season the Lakers signed two time MVP Karl Malone formerly of the Jazz and former Seattle Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton to join O Neal and Bryant 186 Three of the big four however struggled with injuries O Neal suffered from a strained calf Malone an injured knee and Bryant an injured shoulder 187 188 The Lakers started 18 3 and finished 56 26 and won the Pacific Division title entering the playoffs as the No 2 seed They defeated Houston San Antonio and Minnesota to advance to the NBA Finals 189 In the Finals they would lose to Detroit in five games 2004 2016 The Kobe Bryant era 2004 2007 Rebuilding During the 2004 off season the team entered a rebuilding phase when O Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom Brian Grant Caron Butler and a first round draft pick 190 Bryant and O Neal had clashed in the past 191 and the media credited their feud as one of the motivating factors for the trade 192 Jackson did not return as head coach and wrote a book about the team s 2003 04 season in which he heavily criticized Bryant and called him uncoachable 193 194 195 The Lakers front office said that the book contained several inaccuracies 196 The Lakers also traded Rick Fox and Gary Payton to Boston for Chris Mihm Marcus Banks and Chucky Atkins before the 2004 05 season 197 Derek Fisher frustrated with losing playing time opted out of his contract and signed with the Warriors 197 The team hired Rudy Tomjanovich to replace Jackson 197 After sitting out the first half of the 2004 05 season Malone announced his retirement on February 13 2005 198 Tomjanovich coached the team to a 22 19 record before resigning due to health problems 199 Assistant Frank Hamblen was named interim head coach to replace Tomjanovich for the remainder of the season 200 Bryant ankle and Odom shoulder suffered injuries and the Lakers finished 34 48 missing the playoffs for only the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since 1994 32 With the tenth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft the Lakers selected Andrew Bynum a center from St Joseph High School in Metuchen New Jersey 201 The team also traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to Washington for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit 202 Jackson returned to coach the team after Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through the previous season 203 On January 22 2006 Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto the second highest total in NBA history 204 Ending the season 45 37 the team made the playoffs after a one season absence 205 After taking a three games to one lead in the first round Phoenix came back to take the series in seven games 206 In the following season the Lakers won 26 of their first 39 games 207 but lost 27 of their last 43 including seven in a row at one point to finish 42 40 207 They were eliminated in the first round by Phoenix again 207 Frustrated by the team s inability to advance in the playoffs Bryant demanded to be traded in the off season 208 Buss initially agreed to seek a trade 209 but also worked to try to change Bryant s mind 210 2007 2011 Bryant and Gasol duo After re acquiring Derek Fisher the Lakers started the 2007 08 season with a 25 11 record before Andrew Bynum their center who was leading the league in field goal percentage went out for the year due to a knee injury in mid January 211 In what would become a crucial transfer for the franchise s return to championship form they acquired the six time all star power forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade in early February and went 22 5 to finish the season 212 The Lakers 57 25 record earned them the first seed in the Western Conference 213 Bryant was awarded the league s MVP award becoming the first Laker to win the award since O Neal in 2000 214 215 In the playoffs they defeated the Nuggets in four games the Jazz in six and the defending champion Spurs in five but lost to the Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals 216 In the 2008 09 season the Lakers finished 65 17 the best record in the Western Conference 217 They defeated the Jazz in five games the Rockets in seven and the Nuggets in six to win the Western Conference title They then won their 15th NBA championship by defeating the Orlando Magic in five games in the NBA finals 218 Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career 219 The Lakers with President Barack Obama following their 2010 NBA championship The Lakers who had added Ron Artest now Metta World Peace 220 in place of Trevor Ariza in their starting lineup finished the 2009 10 season with the best record in the Western Conference for the third straight time On January 13 2010 the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to win 3 000 regular season games by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 100 95 221 They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference playoffs In the finals the Lakers played the Boston Celtics for the 12th time They rallied back from a 3 2 disadvantage in the series and erased a 13 point deficit in the fourth quarter of the seventh game to defeat the Celtics This series win gave them their 16th NBA title overall and 11th since they moved to Los Angeles 222 Bryant was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row despite a 6 24 shooting performance in game seven 223 After much speculation head coach Phil Jackson returned for the 2010 11 season 224 In the playoffs the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round 225 But their opportunity for a three peat was denied by the Dallas Mavericks in a four game sweep of the second round After the season it was announced that Jackson will not be returning to coach the Lakers 226 2011 2016 Post Jackson era After Jackson s retirement former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was hired as head coach on May 25 2011 227 Before the start of the shortened 2011 12 season the Lakers traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks after Odom requested to be traded 228 On the trade deadline long time Laker Derek Fisher along with a first round draft pick were traded to the Houston Rockets for Jordan Hill 229 With a 41 25 regular season record the Lakers entered the playoffs as the third seed the team defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round in seven games but were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round in five games 230 231 On July 4 2012 Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns agreed to a sign and trade deal that would send him to the Lakers in exchange for the Lakers 2013 and 2015 first round draft picks 2013 and 2014 second round draft picks and 3 million The trade was made official on July 11 2012 the first day the trade moratorium was lifted 232 On August 10 2012 in a four team trade the Lakers traded Andrew Bynum and acquired Dwight Howard 233 On November 9 2012 Mike Brown was relieved of coaching duties after a 1 4 start to the 2012 13 season 234 Assistant Coach Bernie Bickerstaff took over as interim head coach leading the Lakers to a 5 5 record On November 12 2012 the Lakers hired Mike D Antoni as head coach 235 On February 18 2013 Lakers owner Jerry Buss died from cancer at age 80 236 On the court D Antoni coached the Lakers to a 40 32 record the rest of the way to finish 45 37 their worst record since 2007 The Lakers clinched a playoff berth on the final game of the season and finished seventh in the Western Conference after beating the Houston Rockets on April 16 2013 237 238 The Lakers battled injuries all season the most prominent of which is the Achilles tendon rupture to Kobe Bryant that ended his season after 78 games The absence of Bryant was sorely felt as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs 239 Nevertheless Bryant passed Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain to become the fourth all time leading scorer in NBA history on March 30 2013 against the Sacramento Kings 240 On December 8 2013 Bryant played in his first game since tearing his Achilles tendon on April 12 2013 241 However on December 17 2013 he suffered a broken bone in his knee and did not return for the remainder of the season 242 243 On March 25 2014 the Lakers scored 51 points in the third quarter against the New York Knicks the most points scored in a quarter in the history of the franchise 244 The Lakers went on to miss the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2005 for just the second time in the last two decades and for just the sixth time in franchise history On April 30 2014 Mike D Antoni resigned from his position as head coach after a 27 55 season 245 After spending the majority of the off season without a head coach the Lakers named former player Byron Scott as the new head coach 246 After the season he was the frontrunner to become the new Lakers head coach Scott interviewed three times for the position which had become vacant after Mike D Antoni s resignation 247 On July 28 2014 he signed a multi year contract to coach the Lakers 248 During the first game of the 2014 15 season the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft Julius Randle went down with a broken leg which ended his rookie season The Lakers began their season losing 10 of their first 16 games After playing only 35 games Kobe Bryant tore a rotator cuff in his shoulder ending his season Nick Young was also forced to end his season with a fractured kneecap leaving the team with a record of 14 41 249 With 27 games left in the regular season Byron Scott gave rookie Jordan Clarkson more playing time Clarkson the 46th overall pick in the 2014 draft finished his rookie season with game stats of 11 9 ppg 3 2 rpg 3 5 apg and shooting 44 8 from the field 250 The Lakers season ended with a record of 21 61 the fourth worst record in the league and at the time the worst record in franchise history The next season the Lakers had the second overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft which they used to select Ohio State freshman point guard D Angelo Russell The team also selected Larry Nance Jr with the 27th overall pick 251 On November 30 2015 Bryant announced he would retire at the end of the season after 20 seasons with the team 252 In Bryant s last season the team missed the playoffs for the third straight year with a 17 65 record the worst in franchise history 253 2016 2018 Post Bryant era Frank Vogel who coached the Lakers for three seasons On April 24 2016 the Lakers announced that they would not exercise their option on Byron Scott s contract for the following season 254 On April 29 the team announced another former Laker Luke Walton as their new head coach At the time of his hiring Walton was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors who were in the playoffs so he could not officially begin his duties as head coach until the Warriors playoff run was over 255 The Lakers earned the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft 256 and selected Brandon Ingram from Duke University 257 The team also selected Ivica Zubac with the 32nd overall pick 258 On February 21 2017 the Lakers fired general manager Mitch Kupchak while Magic Johnson was named as the president of basketball operations The team s governor Jeanie Buss also announced the removal of her brother Jim Buss from his position as executive vice president of basketball operations 259 260 On March 7 2017 the Lakers hired Rob Pelinka as the general manager signing him to a five year deal 261 The Lakers again earned the second overall pick this time in the 2017 NBA draft 262 and selected Lonzo Ball from UCLA 263 The Lakers also acquired Kyle Kuzma from the University of Utah with the 27th overall pick from a draft day trade along with Brook Lopez in exchange for D Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov 264 The Lakers also traded their 28th overall pick Tony Bradley in exchange for the 30th overall pick Josh Hart from Villanova University and the 42nd overall pick Thomas Bryant from Indiana University 265 In February 2018 Nance Jr and Clarkson were traded away to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Isaiah Thomas Channing Frye and a 2018 first round draft pick 266 On July 2 2018 Randle was renounced by the Lakers 267 2018 present The LeBron James era 2018 2019 The arrival of LeBron James LeBron James in 2018 On July 9 2018 the Lakers signed LeBron James to a four year 154 million contract 268 269 By the Christmas Day game the Lakers were six games over 500 before James sustained a groin injury leading to several weeks of missed games Ball and Ingram also ended their seasons early due to injuries On February 7 2019 Zubac was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers along with Michael Beasley in exchange for Mike Muscala 270 On April 9 2019 Johnson stepped down as the team s president of basketball operations 271 and two days later the Lakers parted ways with head coach Walton after the team failed to reach the playoffs for the sixth straight year 272 2019 present James and Davis era On May 13 Frank Vogel was named the Lakers head coach 273 The Lakers received the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft lottery 274 On July 6 the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans for Ball Ingram Hart and three first round picks including the number four overall in the 2019 draft 275 This trade officially ended the young core era of the Lakers only Kuzma remained out of the group of players Following the suspension of the 2019 20 NBA season the Lakers were one of the 22 teams invited to the NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season 276 The Lakers finished the regular season with a 52 19 record entering the playoffs for the first time since 2013 277 and as the top seed for the first time since 2010 278 They advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010 279 They defeated the Miami Heat 4 2 to win the 2020 NBA Finals 280 and James was named the Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career 281 The win gave Los Angeles their 17th championship in franchise history tying the Boston Celtics for the most all time 282 Primary Lakers owner Jeanie Buss who took over the team in 2017 would also become the first female controlling owner of an NBA team to win the NBA Finals 283 During the 2021 off season the Lakers picked up many NBA veterans the most notable of which was Russell Westbrook who was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards Kyle Kuzma the last player left from the Lakers young core era was traded away along with others Other veterans picked up during the off season included Carmelo Anthony DeAndre Jordan and returning players Wayne Ellington Trevor Ariza Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo 284 Alex Caruso left the Lakers and signed with the Chicago Bulls and veteran locker room voice Jared Dudley retired 285 286 RivalriesBoston Celtics Main article Celtics Lakers rivalry The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Lakers involves the two most storied basketball franchises in National Basketball Association NBA history It has been called the best rivalry in the NBA 287 The two teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals starting with their first Finals meeting in 1959 They would go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and the 1980s facing each other six times in the 1960s and three times in the 1980s The rivalry had been less intense since the retirements of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the early 1990s but in 2008 it was renewed as the Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals for the first time since 1987 with the Celtics winning the series 4 2 They faced off once again in the 2010 NBA Finals which the Lakers won in 7 games The two teams have tied for the highest number of championships with 17 titles apiece together the 34 championships account for almost half of the 74 championships in NBA history The all time series record for the Lakers vs Celtics is 204 162 with the Celtics being the forerunners 288 Detroit Pistons Main article Lakers Pistons rivalry The rivalry between the Lakers and the Detroit Pistons developed in the late 1980s 289 228 Both teams faced each other in back to back finals appearances in the 1988 NBA Finals which the Lakers won in 7 games and the 1989 NBA Finals which the Pistons won in 4 games The rivalry reemerged in the early 2000s as both teams squared off against one another in the 2004 NBA Finals which the Pistons won in five games Los Angeles Clippers Main article Lakers Clippers rivalry The rivalry between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers is unique because they are the only two NBA teams to share an arena the Crypto com Arena It is also one of only two intra city rivalries in the NBA the other being the new crosstown rivalry between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets Los Angeles fans have historically favored the Lakers 290 291 Some contend that the term rivalry was inaccurate until the Clippers became more successful 292 San Antonio Spurs Main article Lakers Spurs rivalry The San Antonio Spurs and the Lakers developed what some would classify as a rivalry in the late 1990s and early 2000s Since 1999 the teams have met in the NBA Playoffs five times with the clubs combining to appear in seven consecutive NBA Finals from 1999 to 2005 Additionally the teams combined to win five NBA championships from 1999 to 2003 the Spurs won the NBA championship in 1999 2003 2005 2007 and 2014 while the Lakers won the championship in 2000 2001 2002 2009 and 2010 From 1999 to 2004 the clubs rivalry was often considered the premier rivalry in the NBA 293 and each time the clubs faced each other in the playoffs the winner advanced to the NBA Finals In 2008 the teams met again in the Western Conference Finals where the Spurs were handily defeated only to beat the Lakers when they met again in 2013 Ownerships financial history and fanbaseBerger and Chalfen purchased the NBL s disbanded Detroit Gems for 15 000 in 1947 changed their name to the Lakers and relocated them to Minnesota Max Winter bought a third of the club in their early years and sold his share to Mikan in 1954 Berger bought Mikan s share in 1956 giving him a controlling interest 294 After Mikan retired attendance plummeted and the team lost money for several seasons leading the ownership group to put the team up for sale in 1957 295 Marty Marion a retired baseball player and manager and his business partner Milton Fischman attempted to purchase the team with the intention of moving the club to Kansas City Missouri 295 296 Mikan offered to mortgage his home in an attempt to buy the team and keep the club in Minnesota 297 The Lakers were sold to a group of investors led by Bob Short however 294 The team was sold to Short s group with the agreement that it would not be relocated to Kansas City but kept in Minnesota 298 Short s ownership group consisted of 117 Minnesota businesses and private citizens who amassed a total of 200 000 for the purchase 150 000 to buy the team and 50 000 to run it 294 By 1958 Short had become 80 owner of the team by buying out his partners 294 but the team was floundering Attendance remained poor and the NBA had put the Lakers on financial probation notifying them that if they did not meet certain ticket sales numbers they could be bought out by the league and relocated Short was forced to move the team to Los Angeles in 1960 the club had lost 60 000 in the first half of the 1959 60 season alone 299 The NBA s owners originally voted 7 1 against the move 300 When Short indicated that he might take the team to a new rival league that was developing however the owners held another vote that same day and allowed the relocation 8 0 301 Aided by Baylor s drawing power 302 303 and the new locale the team s finances improved when they arrived in LA 304 305 Short sold the team to Washington Redskins owner and publisher Jack Kent Cooke in 1965 for a then league record amount of 5 175 million 306 Short insisted the deal be conducted in cash as he was wary of Cooke so guards transported the money in a cart from one New York bank to another 307 Jerry Buss owned the team from 1979 until his death in 2013 Cooke was a more hands on owner than Short and overhauled the team s operations 308 He personally financed construction of the Forum in 1967 at a cost of 16 5 million 309 310 He owned the team until 1979 when he sold it the NHL s Los Angeles Kings the Forum and some real estate to Jerry Buss for 67 million 311 Cooke was forced to sell the team as he was undergoing a costly divorce 312 313 Buss was a local chemical engineer and former University of Southern California professor who had become wealthy in real estate 310 314 Philip Anschutz bought a stake in the team in 1998 315 and until October 2010 Magic Johnson was a minority owner as well 316 Buss started the trend of allowing sponsors to add their name to team s stadiums when he renamed the Forum the Great Western Forum in 1988 317 In 2009 major sponsors included Verizon Wireless Toyota Anheuser Busch American Express and Carl s Jr and the team s 113 average ticket price was the highest in the league 315 In 2013 Buss died at the age of 80 after being hospitalized for 18 months with cancer 318 319 320 His controlling ownership of the team passed to his six children via a trust with each child receiving an equal vote 321 322 Buss succession plan had daughter Jeanie Buss assume his title as the Lakers governor as well as its team representative at NBA Board of Governors meetings 322 323 Given the team s proximity to Hollywood the Lakers fanbase includes numerous celebrities many of whom can be seen at the Staples Center during home games 324 Jack Nicholson for example has held season tickets since the 1970s and directors reportedly need to work their shooting schedules around Lakers home games 325 From 2002 and 2007 the team averaged just over 18 900 fans which placed them in the top ten in the NBA in attendance Red Hot Chili Peppers song Magic Johnson from their 1989 album Mother s Milk is a tribute to the former point guard and frontman Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael Flea Balzary are frequently seen attending home games 326 In 2008 the team sold out every home game 327 and in 2010 the Lakers had the most popular team merchandise among all NBA teams and Bryant the most popular jersey 328 Name logo and uniformsFurther information Logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers The Lakers current wordmark used since the 1999 2000 season The version shown is used on their Association white jerseys The Laker nickname came from the state of Minnesota being the Land of 10 000 Lakes 11 329 The team s colors are purple gold and white 330 6 The Lakers logo consists of the team name Los Angeles Lakers written in purple on top of a gold basketball The team usually wears white jerseys for Sunday and holiday home games 330 331 Season by season recordList of the last five seasons completed by the Lakers For the full season by season history see List of Los Angeles Lakers seasons The Lakers have won 17 NBA titles and have appeared in the NBA Finals 15 other times 32 These appearances include eight NBA Finals appearances in the 1980s The best record posted by the team was 69 13 in 1972 the worst record was 17 65 in 2016 32 Note GP Games played W Wins L Losses W L Winning percentage Season GP W L W L Finish Playoffs2017 18 82 35 47 427 3rd Pacific Did not qualify2018 19 82 37 45 451 4th Pacific Did not qualify2019 20 71 52 19 732 1st Pacific NBA champions 4 2 Heat 2020 21 72 42 30 583 3rd Pacific Lost in First Round 2 4 Suns 2021 22 82 33 49 402 4th Pacific Did not qualifyFranchise and NBA recordsFurther information Los Angeles Lakers accomplishments and records Bryant holds most individual team records for longevity including most games played 1 333 and most minutes logged 48 298 Johnson holds all significant assist records for the club including career assists 10 141 assists in a game 24 and highest assist average for a season 13 1 Johnson also has the most triple doubles with his 138 over 100 more than the next closest player Bryant 17 Elmore Smith holds team records for blocks in a game 17 blocks per game for a season 4 85 and career blocks per game 3 93 The scoring records are mostly shared by Elgin Baylor and Bryant with Baylor having the highest average for a career 27 4 while Bryant has the highest points scored in a single game 81 Baylor Bryant and West hold the top five single season scoring averages with Bryant occupying the first 35 4 and fourth 31 6 spots while Baylor has the second 34 8 and third 34 0 and West the fifth 31 3 332 333 The Lakers hold several NBA records as a team including most consecutive games won overall 33 and most consecutive road games won 16 both of which came during the 1971 72 season 334 highest field goal percentage for a season at 54 5 1984 85 335 and highest road winning percentage at 0 816 1971 72 61 They also hold records for having into the 2009 10 season the most wins 3 027 the highest winning percentage 61 9 and the most NBA Finals appearances 31 32 336 The 2000 01 team set the NBA record for best playoff record at 15 1 which was later broken by the Golden State Warriors in 2017 337 The 1971 72 team holds franchise records in wins 69 most points scored and largest margin of victory both of the latter came in the team s 63 point win versus Golden State 162 99 338 They also held the record for most wins at home in the regular season going 36 5 in 1971 72 then 37 4 in both 1976 77 and 1979 80 unil the Boston Celtics set the current record of 40 1 in the 1985 86 season Home arenas The Forum left served as the Lakers home arena from 1967 to 1999 before they moved to their present home the Crypto com Arena right The Lakers play their home games at Crypto com Arena located at L A Live in Downtown Los Angeles The arena opened in fall 1999 and seats up to 18 997 for Lakers games 339 Owned and operated by AEG and L A Arena Company the arena is also home to the Los Angeles Clippers the WNBA s Los Angeles Sparks and the NHL s Los Angeles Kings 339 Before moving to Staples Center for 32 seasons 1967 1999 the Lakers played their home games at The Forum in Inglewood California located approximately 10 miles southwest of the team s current home 162 During the 1999 preseason the Lakers played their home games at the Forum before officially moving into Crypto com Arena and once again hosted a preseason game versus the Golden State Warriors on October 9 2009 this time to commemorate the team s 50th anniversary season in Los Angeles 340 In the first seven years in Los Angeles the team played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena south of Downtown Los Angeles 341 While the team played in Minneapolis the team played their home games at the Minneapolis Auditorium from 1947 to 1960 342 PlayersFor the complete list of Los Angeles Lakers players see Los Angeles Lakers all time roster Current roster Los Angeles Lakers rostervte Players CoachesPos No Name Height Weight DOB YYYY MM DD FromG 21 Beverley Patrick 6 ft 2 in 1 88 m 180 lb 82 kg 1988 07 12 ArkansasG F 7 Brown Troy Jr 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 215 lb 98 kg 1999 07 28 OregonC 31 Bryant Thomas 6 ft 10 in 2 08 m 248 lb 112 kg 1997 07 31 IndianaG 10 Christie Max 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 190 lb 86 kg 2003 02 10 Michigan StateF C 3 Davis Anthony 6 ft 10 in 2 08 m 253 lb 115 kg 1993 03 11 KentuckyF 35 Gabriel Wenyen 6 ft 9 in 2 06 m 205 lb 93 kg 1997 03 26 KentuckyF 28 Hachimura Rui 6 ft 8 in 2 03 m 230 lb 104 kg 1998 02 08 GonzagaF 6 James LeBron 6 ft 9 in 2 06 m 250 lb 113 kg 1984 12 30 St Vincent St Mary HS OH C 30 Jones Damian 6 ft 11 in 2 11 m 245 lb 111 kg 1995 06 30 VanderbiltG 14 Pippen Scotty Jr TW 6 ft 1 in 1 85 m 170 lb 77 kg 2000 11 10 VanderbiltG 15 Reaves Austin 6 ft 5 in 1 96 m 197 lb 89 kg 1998 05 29 OklahomaG 17 Schroder Dennis 6 ft 1 in 1 85 m 172 lb 78 kg 1993 09 15 GermanyF 20 Swider Cole TW 6 ft 9 in 2 06 m 220 lb 100 kg 1999 05 08 SyracuseF 95 Toscano Anderson Juan 6 ft 6 in 1 98 m 209 lb 95 kg 1993 04 10 MarquetteG 4 Walker Lonnie IV 6 ft 4 in 1 93 m 204 lb 93 kg 1998 12 14 Miami FL G 0 Westbrook Russell 6 ft 3 in 1 91 m 200 lb 91 kg 1988 11 12 UCLA Head coachDarvin HamAssistant coach es Dru Anthrop J D DuBois Phil Handy Chris Jent Jordan Ott Jon Pastorek Zach PetersonLegend C Team captain DP Unsigned draft pick FA Free agent S Suspended GL On assignment to G League affiliate TW Two way affiliate player L On leave from the team Injured Roster Last transaction January 28 2023Retained draft rights The Lakers hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA 343 A drafted player either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him is allowed to sign with any non NBA teams In this case the team retains the player s draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player s contract with the non NBA team ends 344 This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams Draft Round Pick Player Pos Nationality Current team Note s Ref2014 2 57 Louis Labeyrie F C France UNICS Kazan Russia Acquired from the New York Knicks 345 2009 2 59 Chinemelu Elonu F C Nigeria Al Jahra Kuwait 346 Draft picks Main article List of Los Angeles Lakers first and second round draft picks The Lakers have had three first overall picks in their history Elgin Baylor selected in 1958 Magic Johnson selected in 1979 and James Worthy selected in 1982 347 The Lakers have also had six lottery picks in their history Eddie Jones selected tenth overall in 1994 Andrew Bynum selected tenth overall in 2005 Julius Randle selected seventh overall in 2014 D Angelo Russell selected second overall in 2015 Brandon Ingram selected second overall in 2016 and Lonzo Ball selected second overall in 2017 347 Other draft picks include Jerry West and Gail Goodrich in the 1960s Michael Cooper and Norm Nixon in the 1970s A C Green and Vlade Divac in the 1980s Elden Campbell Nick Van Exel Derek Fisher and Devean George in the 1990s and Luke Walton Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf in the 2000s 347 Head coaches Former head coach Phil Jackson led the team to five championships Main article List of Los Angeles Lakers head coaches There have been 22 head coaches for the Lakers franchise John Kundla coached the team in Minneapolis when they won their first five BAA NBA championships from 1949 to 1954 47 Pat Riley is second in franchise history in both regular season and playoff games coached and wins 348 Phil Jackson broke Riley s regular season wins record in 2009 and he passed Riley s playoff wins and games coached records in 2010 348 Jackson Riley Kundla and Bill Sharman have all been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for their coaching careers George Mikan Jim Pollard Jerry West Pat Riley Magic Johnson Kurt Rambis Byron Scott and Luke Walton have all played and head coached for the Lakers Jackson who had two stints as head coach was coach from 2005 to 2011 In May 2011 Mike Brown was named his replacement for the 2011 12 season 349 Brown was fired 350 on November 9 2012 after a 1 4 start Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff served as interim head coach for five games before the Lakers selected Mike D Antoni as their new head coach D Antoni resigned at the end of the 2013 14 season In July 2014 Byron Scott was hired as head coach 351 After the 2015 16 season ended Scott was fired On April 29 2016 former Lakers player Luke Walton was named as Scott s replacement 352 and served as head coach until the end of the 2018 19 season 353 Frank Vogel was named his successor on a multiyear deal announced on May 13 2019 354 Vogel was fired following the conclusion of the 2021 22 season 355 Hall of Famers retired and honored numbersThe Lakers have 38 Hall of Famers 28 players 5 head coaches 1 assistant coach and 4 contributors who contributed to the organization 356 357 358 Los Angeles Lakers Hall of FamersPlayersNo Name Position Tenure Inducted No Name Position Tenure Inducted99 George Mikan 1 C 1948 19541955 1956 1959 359 22 Elgin Baylor F 1958 1971 1977 360 17 Jim Pollard 2 F 1948 1955 1978 13 Wilt Chamberlain C 1968 1973 1979 361 44 Jerry West 3 5 G 1960 1974 1980 362 22 Slater Martin G 1949 1956 19823489 Clyde Lovellette F C 1953 1957 1988 42 Connie Hawkins F C 1973 1975 199219 Vern Mikkelsen F 1949 1959 1995 33 Kareem Abdul Jabbar C 1975 1989 1995 363 1125 Gail Goodrich G 1965 19681970 1976 1996 11 Bob McAdoo F C 1981 1985 200032 Magic Johnson 4 6 G 1979 19911996 2002 364 0042 James Worthy F 1982 1994 20034 Adrian Dantley F 1977 1979 2008 11 Karl Malone 7 F 2003 2004 201073 Dennis Rodman F 1999 2011 52 Jamaal Wilkes F 1977 1985 201220 Gary Payton G 2003 2004 2013 23 Mitch Richmond G 2001 2002 201431 Spencer Haywood F 1979 1980 2015 31 Zelmo Beaty C 1974 1975 201634 Shaquille O Neal C 1996 2004 2016 365 11 Charlie Scott G 1977 1978 201810 Steve Nash G 2012 2015 2018 366 12 Vlade Divac C 1989 19962004 2005 2019824 Kobe Bryant G 1996 2016 2020 367 23 Lou Hudson F G 1977 1979 2022CoachesName Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure InductedJohn Kundla Head coach 1948 19571958 1959 1995 Bill Sharman Head coach 1971 1976 2004Phil Jackson Head coach 1999 20042005 2011 2007 12 Pat Riley 8 Assistant coachHead coach 1979 1981 assistant 1981 1990 head 2008Tex Winter Assistant coach 1999 2008 2011 Rudy Tomjanovich Head coach 2004 2005 2020ContributorsName Position Tenure Inducted Name Position Tenure InductedPete Newell9 General manager 1972 1976 1979 Chick Hearn Broadcaster 1961 2002 2003Jerry Buss Owner 1979 2013 2010 Del Harris Head coach 1994 1999 2022Notes 1 He also coached the team in 1957 1958 2 He also coached the team in 1960 3 He also coached the team in 1976 1979 4 He also coached the team in 1994 5 In total West was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice as player and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team 6 In total Johnson was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice as player and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team 7 In total Malone was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice as player and as a member of the 1992 Olympic team 8 He also played for the team in 1970 1975 9 In total Newell was inducted into the Hall of Fame twice as contributor and as a member of the 1960 Olympic team FIBA Hall of Famers Los Angeles Lakers Hall of FamersPlayersNo Name Position Tenure Inducted12 Vlade Divac C 1989 19962004 2005 201034 Shaquille O Neal C 1996 2004 201710 Steve Nash G 2012 2015 2020Retired numbers Lakers retired jerseys hanging inside the Crypto com Arena in 2013 The Lakers have retired twelve jersey numbers and an honorary microphone in honor of their players and broadcaster 368 369 370 371 372 Los Angeles Lakers retired numbersNo Player Position Tenure Ceremony date8 Kobe Bryant G 1996 2006 December 18 201713 Wilt Chamberlain C 1968 1973 November 9 198322 Elgin Baylor F 1958 1971 November 9 198324 Kobe Bryant G 2006 2016 December 18 201725 Gail Goodrich G 1965 19681970 1976 November 20 199632 Magic Johnson G 1979 19911996 February 16 199233 Kareem Abdul Jabbar C 1975 1989 March 20 199034 Shaquille O Neal C 1996 2004 April 2 201342 James Worthy F 1982 1994 December 10 199544 Jerry West G 1960 1974 November 19 198352 Jamaal Wilkes F 1977 1985 December 28 201299 George Mikan C 1948 19541956 October 30 2022 Chick Hearn Broadcaster 1961 2002 December 2 2002The NBA retired Bill Russell s No 6 for all its member teams on August 11 2022 373 374 In addition several other players and coaches who were instrumental to the franchise s success during its days in Minneapolis were named Honored Minneapolis Lakers although their numbers are not retired by the franchise 375 Minneapolis Lakers honored numbersNo Player Position Tenure17 Jim Pollard F 1948 195519 Vern Mikkelsen F 1949 195922 Slater Martin G 1949 195634 Clyde Lovellette F C 1953 1957John Kundla Head coach 1948 19571958 1959MediaMain article List of Los Angeles Lakers broadcasters For 41 years Chick Hearn was the team s broadcaster until his death in 2002 He broadcast 3 338 consecutive games between November 21 1965 and December 16 2001 376 Hearn came up with West s Mr Clutch nickname 377 He was a part of the team s inner sanctum when Cooke was owner and was consulted on basketball decisions 378 Paul Sunderland who had filled in for a couple of games while Hearn recuperated in the 2001 02 season was named the permanent play by play announcer Stu Lantz was retained as the color commentator 379 When Sunderland s contract expired in the summer of 2005 the team chose not to renew it 380 Then Joel Meyers moved in alongside Lantz as the television announcer with Spero Dedes and former Laker player Mychal Thompson on the radio 381 For the 2011 12 season Bill Macdonald became the new television play by play announcer joining Lantz who remained as the color analyst Meanwhile John Ireland joined Mychal Thompson to call the games on radio 382 Beginning in the 2009 10 season Lakers radio broadcasts were heard on KSPN Los Angeles ESPN Radio affiliate in English and KWKW in Spanish 381 383 KLAC had the team s radio broadcast rights from the 1976 77 season until the 2008 09 season 383 384 Until 2011 telecasts had been split between KCAL TV road games and Fox Sports West home games unless they are chosen for national broadcasts on ABC 385 KCAL had been the Lakers over the air television broadcaster since 1977 dating back to when the station was the RKO General owned KHJ TV the longest relationship between an NBA team and a television station Prior to KHJ Laker games were televised on KTLA The Lakers had been on Fox Sports West since 1985 dating to when it was the original Prime Ticket and owned by Buss 386 On February 14 2011 Time Warner Cable and the Lakers announced the formation of two new regional sports networks one in English one in Spanish that would exclusively televise the team s games and related programming for 20 years starting with the 2012 13 season 387 The said networks were originally known as Time Warner Cable SportsNet before it was renamed Spectrum SportsNet in 2016 upon Charter Communications purchase of Time Warner Cable 388 References Lakers Season by Season Records Lakers com NBA Media Ventures LLC Retrieved February 10 2019 History Team by Team PDF 2019 20 Official NBA Guide PDF NBA Media Ventures LLC Retrieved May 22 2022 NBA com Stats Los Angeles Lakers seasons Stats NBA com NBA Media Ventures LLC Retrieved December 2 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Media Guidelines And Policies PDF 2022 23 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide PDF NBA Properties Inc Retrieved November 8 2022 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint url status link Lakers Uniform Schedule Lakers com NBA Media Ventures LLC Retrieved November 8 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link a b Los Angeles Lakers Reproduction and Usage Guideline Sheet NBA Properties Inc Retrieved February 8 2018 Lakers x Bibigo Lakers com NBA Media Ventures LLC September 21 2021 Retrieved September 22 2021 Team Directory PDF 2020 21 Los Angeles Lakers Media Guide PDF NBA Properties Inc December 20 2020 Retrieved May 24 2021 About STAPLES CENTER L A Arena Company LLC Archived from 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978 0 07 141261 2 Lazenby Roland 2005 The Show The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers In The Words of Those Who Lived It McGraw Hill ISBN 978 0 07 143034 0 James P Quirk Rodney D Fort 1997 Pay dirt the business of profe, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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