Night Cat

The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, which they share with their local NBA rival, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.^[1] The Lakers are the reigning NBA champions after defeating the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals 4–3. The Finals victory gave the franchise their 16th championship, placing them second in NBA history behind the Celtics' 17. As of 2010, the Lakers are the most valuable NBA franchise according to Forbes, with an estimated value of $607 million.^[2]
The franchise started with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the NBL. The new team began play in Minneapolis, Minnesota, calling themselves the Lakers in honor of the state's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes".^[3] The Lakers won five championships in Minneapolis, propelled by center George Mikan, who is described by the NBA's official website as the league's "first superstar".^[4] 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, the Lakers made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s, but lost each series to the Celtics. In 1968, the Lakers acquired Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain, and after losing in the Finals in 1969 and 1970, they 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 acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 but was unable to make the Finals in the late 1970s. The 1980s Lakers were nicknamed "Showtime" due to their Magic Johnson-led fast break-offense, and won five championships in a nine-year span. This team featured Hall of Famers in Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy, and a Hall of Fame coach, Pat Riley. Two of those championships were against their rivals, the Celtics. After Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson's retirement, the team struggled in the early 1990s before acquiring Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in 1996. Led by O'Neal, Bryant, and Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers won three consecutive titles between 2000 to 2002, securing the franchise its first "three-peat". After losing both the 2004 and 2008 NBA Finals, the Lakers won two more championships by defeating the Orlando Magic in 2009 and Boston in 2010.
The Lakers 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).^[5][6] They also hold the record for longest winning streak (33) in NBA history in the 1971–72 season.^[7] Sixteen Hall of Famers have played for the Lakers, while four Hall of Famers have coached the team. Four Lakers—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant—have won the NBA Most Valuable Player Awards for a total of eight awards.^[8]

Team history

1947–1959: Beginnings and Minneapolis dynasty

The Lakers' franchise began in 1947 when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen of Minnesota purchased the recently disbanded Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL) for $15,000 from Gems owner Maury Winston.^[9] Inspired by Minnesota's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the team christened themselves the Lakers.^[3][10] They hired John Kundla as their first head coach.^[6]
The Lakers had a solid roster with forward Jim Pollard, playmaker Herm Schaefer, and center George Mikan, who became the most dominant player in the NBL.^[11] In their first season, they won their division by 13 games with a 43–17 record.^[11]
In 1948, the Lakers moved from the NBL to the Basketball Association of America (BAA), and Mikan set a BAA scoring record with an average of 28.3 points per game (ppg). In the 1949 BAA Finals the Lakers won the championship, beating the Washington Capitols four games to two.^[11] The following season, the team improved to 51–17, repeating as champions.^[11] 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.^[12] One of those victories, a 19–18 win against the Fort Wayne Pistons, became infamous as the lowest scoring game in NBA history.^[13] In the playoffs, they defeated the Indianapolis Olympians in three games but lost to the Rochester Royals in the next round.^[11]
During the 1951–52 season the Lakers won 40 games, finishing second in their division. Facing the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, the Lakers won in seven games. 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.^[12] With a 48–22 record, the Lakers went to the NBA Finals after defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons in the Western Finals. The team defeated the New York Knicks to win their second straight championship. Though Lakers star George Mikan suffered from knee problems throughout the 1953–54 season, he was still able to average 18 ppg.^[11] Clyde Lovellette, who was drafted in 1952, helped the team win the Western Division.^[11] The team won their third straight championship in the 1950s and fifth in six seasons when they defeated the Syracuse Nationals in seven games.^[11]
Following Mikan's retirement in the 1954 offseason, 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.^[14] Although they finished with losing records in the next two seasons, they made the playoffs each year.^[6] Led by Lovellete'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, winning only 19 games. 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.^[6][15]
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.^[16] 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.^[11]

1959–1968: Move to Los Angeles and Celtics rivalry

In their last year in Minneapolis, the Lakers went 25–50 and won the number two pick in the 1960 NBA Draft. The team selected Jerry West from West Virginia University.^[18] During the 1960 offseason, the Lakers became the NBA's first West Coast team when owner Bob Short decided to move the team to Los Angeles.^[19] The Lakers won 11 more games in West's first season with the team, led by Baylor's 34.8 ppg and 19.8 rpg.^[20] 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.^[21] In doing so, Baylor broke his own NBA record of 64 points. Despite finishing with a losing record, the Lakers made the playoffs.^[6] They came within two points of the NBA Finals when they lost in game seven of their second round series against St. Louis.^[22]
Led by Baylor and West at 38.3 and 30.8 ppg respectively,^[23] 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. The Lakers, however, lost to the Celtics by three points in overtime of game seven.^[23] Frank Selvy, after making two jumpers in the final 40 seconds to tie the game,^[24][25] missed a potential game winning 18 foot jump shot in regulation, a miss which he said in June 2010, still haunted him over 40 years later.^[25]
The Lakers won 53 games in 1962–63, behind Baylor's 34.0 ppg and West's 27.1 ppg^[26] but lost in the NBA Finals in six games to the Celtics.^[26] 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.^[27] They would, however, lose again to Celtics in the Finals, this time in five games.^[28]
The Lakers lost in the finals to the Celtics in seven games again in 1966, this time by two points.^[29] 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.^[30] 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.^[6] The Lakers moved to a brand-new arena, The Forum, in 1967, after playing seven seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. That season saw the team repeating its pattern, losing to the Celtics in the 1968 NBA Finals.^[31]

1968–1974: Wilt arrives

On July 9, 1968, the team acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers for Darrell Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers.^[33] In his first season with the Lakers, Chamberlain set a team record by averaging a league-leading 21.1 rpg.^[34] West, Baylor, and Chamberlain each averaged over 20 points, and the Lakers won their division.^[35] The Lakers and Celtics again met in the finals, and the Lakers had home court advantage against Boston for the first time. The Lakers won the first game behind Jerry West's 53 point outburst,^[36] and had a 3–2 lead after five games. Boston won the series in seven games however, and the Celtics emerged from the series with their 11th NBA Championship in 13 seasons. West was named the first-ever Finals MVP; this remains the only time that a member of the losing team has won the award.^[37] In 1970, West won his first scoring title at 31.2 ppg, the team returned to the finals, and for the first time in sixteen years, they did not have to face the Celtics; instead playing the New York Knicks, who defeated them 4–3.^[31][38] 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.^[39]
The 1971–72 season brought several changes. Owner Jack Kent Cooke brought in Bill Sharman as head coach,^[40] and Elgin Baylor announced his retirement early in the season after realizing that his legs were not healthy enough.^[40] However, the team still won 14 straight games in November and all 16 games played in December.^[40] 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.^[40] By winning 33 straight games, the Lakers set a record for longest winning streak of any team in American professional sports.^[41] The team won 69 games that season, which stood as the NBA record for 24 years until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1995–96.^[42] Chamberlain averaged a career-low 14.8 points but led the league in rebounding with 19.2 per game.^[43] West led the league in assists, with 9.7 assists per game (apg), averaged more than 25 points, and was named MVP of the 1972 NBA All-Star Game.^[43] At the end of the season, Bill Sharman was named Coach of the Year.^[44] The Lakers made it to the finals where they avenged their finals loss from the previous season by defeating the Knicks in five games. For his role in bringing the first NBA title to Los Angeles, Chamberlain won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.^[45]
The Lakers won 60 games in the 1972–73 NBA season, and another Pacific Division title.^[46] 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%.^[46] 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.^[46] They played the New York Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals. The Lakers took the first game by three points, but the Knicks took the series in five games.^[47] Following the season, Wilt Chamberlain retired after a 14-year NBA career. For the 1973–74 season, the team was hampered by the loss of West, who played only 31 games before his legs gave out.^[48] Goodrich who averaged 25.3 points, helped the team to a late-season surge.^[48] Trailing the Golden State Warriors by three games with seven left to play, the Lakers rallied to win the Pacific Division with a 47–35 record.^[48] They made the playoffs but managed just one win against Milwaukee in the conference semifinals. Following the season, West retired, ending his 14-year playing career.^[48]

1974–1979: Building "Showtime"

After missing the playoffs in the 1974–75 season, the Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the league's premier big man at that time.^[49] Abdul-Jabbar wanted out of Milwaukee, demanding a trade to either New York or Los Angeles. 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.^[50] The Lakers struggled in January, with a 3–10 record, and finished out of the playoffs with a 40–42 record.^[50]
Jerry West replaced Bill Sharman as head coach during the offseason.^[50] It took another MVP season from Abdul-Jabbar to carry the team back to the top of the Pacific Division, as the Lakers finished the 1976–77 season with a league-best 53–29 record.^[51] They defeated the Warriors in a seven-game series to open the postseason before being swept by Portland in the Western Conference Finals.^[50] During the offseason, the Lakers 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.^[50] Two months later, a healthy Abdul-Jabbar became involved in a scuffle with Houston Rockets center Kevin Kunnert. The team's starting power forward, Kermit Washington, who was averaging 11.5 points and 11.2 rebounds,^[52] entered the fight and when Rudy Tomjanovich ran in from the bench to break up the altercation, Washington punched him in the face.^[53] Tomjanovich nearly died from the punch, suffering a fractured skull and other facial injuries which prematurely ended his playing career. Washington, who stated that he assumed Tomjanovich was a combatant, was suspended for two months and released by the Lakers.^[54] 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.^[55] During the 1978–79 season, the team posted a 47–35 record but lost to the SuperSonics in the semifinal round of the playoffs.^[50]

1979–1989: "Showtime"

In the 1979 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected 6 ft 9 in point guard Magic Johnson from Michigan State with the first overall pick.^[56] 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 series Finals MVP award, after starting at center for the injured Abdul-Jabbar in game six, and tallying 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.^[57] The 1980–81 season was a disappointment, though, as the Lakers lost Johnson for most of the season to a knee injury.^[58] The team turned in a 54–28 record and finished second behind the Phoenix Suns in the Pacific Division.^[58] But the Rockets, led by Moses Malone, stunned the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.^[58]
Early in the 1981–82 season, Johnson complained to the media about head coach Paul Westhead and demanded a trade.^[59] Westhead was fired shortly after Johnson's criticisms, and although Lakers' owner Jerry Buss stated that Johnson's comments had nothing to do with the firing, Johnson was booed both at home and on the road. He was also vilified by the national media.^[60] 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.^[58][61] Nicknamed "Showtime" due to the team's new Johnson led fast break-offense, the Lakers took the Pacific Division title and swept both the Suns and Spurs. The Lakers then stretched its postseason winning streak to nine games by taking the first contest of the NBA Finals from the 76ers.^[58] The team won the Finals 4–2 to finish with a 12–2 playoff record.^[58] On draft night in 1982, the Lakers had the first overall pick and selected James Worthy from North Carolina.^[62] The Lakers won the Pacific Division with a 58–24 record, advancing to the 1983 NBA Finals by defeating Portland and San Antonio in the first two rounds, despite Worthy missing most of the second half of the season and playoffs with a leg injury. The Sixers, however, won the series and the championship in four straight games.^[62]
In the 1983–84 season the Lakers went 54–28, and played the Celtics in the Finals for the first time since 1969.^[63] The Lakers won two of the first three games. Kevin McHale of the Celtics' hard clothesline foul of Kurt Rambis on a fast break is credited as a turning point of the series. Boston won three of the next four to win the title and send the Lakers record to 0–8 in Finals series against Boston.^[63]
Using last year's Finals defeat as motivation, the team won the Pacific Division for the fourth straight year and lost just twice in the Western Conference playoffs. The Celtics were again the Lakers' final hurdle towards a title. However, the Lakers lost game one of the NBA Finals by a score of 148–114, in what is remembered as the "Memorial Day Massacre".^[64] The Lakers, behind 38-year old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar, recovered to defeat Boston in six games. The team won the title in the Boston Garden, becoming the only visiting team to ever win an NBA championship there.^[64]
In the 1985–86 season, they started 24–3. They won 62 games, and their fifth straight division title.^[65] The Rockets, however, defeated the Lakers in five games in the Western Conference Finals. The Rockets won the series when Ralph Sampson hit a 20-foot jumper as time expired in game five at The Forum.^[65] Prior to the 1986–87 season, the Lakers moved A. C. Green into the starting lineup, and acquired Mychal Thompson from the Spurs.^[66] Johnson won his first career MVP Award while leading the Lakers to a 65–17 record,^[66] and Michael Cooper was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.^[66]
The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals by sweeping the Denver Nuggets, defeating the Golden State Warriors in five games, and sweeping the SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers defeated Boston in the first two games of the Finals, and the teams split the next four games, giving the Lakers their second championship in three seasons.^[66] The series was highlighted by Johnson's running "baby hook" shot to win game four at Boston Garden with two seconds remaining.^[67] Johnson was named the NBA Finals MVP, to go with his regular-season MVP trophy. At the Lakers' championship celebration in Los Angeles, coach Riley brashly declared that the Lakers would repeat as NBA champions.^[66] During the 1987–88 season, the Lakers took their seventh consecutive Pacific Division title, and met the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals. The Lakers took the series in seven games, and James Worthy's game seven triple double earned him a Finals MVP award. In the 1988–89 season, the Lakers won 57 games. They swept the playoffs up till the NBA Finals, and faced the Detroit Pistons again. The Lakers hampered by injuries to Byron Scott and Johnson, were swept by Detroit.^[68]

1989–1999: Post-"Showtime" dry spell

On June 28, 1989, after twenty professional seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. During the 1990 offseason, 1987 Defensive Player of the Year winner Michael Cooper also announced his retirement. The team made another Finals appearance in 1991 but lost in five games to a Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan.^[69] On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and that he would retire immediately.^[70] In their first season without Magic, they won just 43 games, and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. During the 1993–94 season, the team won 33 games and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history.^[71]
For the next two seasons, the team made the playoffs but were eliminated in the second and first round, respectively.^[72][73] During the 1996 off-season, however, the Lakers acquired 17-year-old Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets for Vlade Divac; Bryant had been drafted thirteenth overall out of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The Lakers also signed free-agent Shaquille O'Neal.^[74] They used their 24th pick in the draft to select Derek Fisher.^[75] During the season, the team traded Cedric Ceballos to Phoenix for Robert Horry.^[76]
O'Neal led the team to a 56–26 record, their best effort since 1990–91, despite missing 31 games with a knee injury.^[77] 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.^[77][78] The Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs. 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.^[77] In the next round, the Lakers lost four games to one to the Utah Jazz.^[77]
In the 1997–98 season, O'Neal and the Lakers had the best start in franchise history, starting 11–0.^[79] O'Neal missed 20 games due to an abdominal injury.^[79] All season, the Lakers battled with Seattle for the Pacific Division title. In the final two months of the season, the Lakers won 22 of their final 25 games.^[79] With their late-season surge, the Lakers overtook Seattle atop the Pacific at 61–21.^[79] The Lakers defeated Portland three games to one, in the best-of-five first-round. In the next round, the team faced Seattle. Although Seattle won the first game, the Lakers responded with four straight wins and took the series.^[79] The Lakers were swept in four games by the Utah, one series short of reaching the Finals for the first time since 1991.^[79]
During the middle of the 1998–99 season, All-Star guard Eddie Jones and center Elden Campbell were traded to the Charlotte Hornets. The team also acquired J. R. Reid, B. J. Armstrong, and Glen Rice.^[80] The team finished 31–19 in the shortened season, which was fourth in the Western Conference.^[81] The team defeated Houston in the first round of the playoffs but were defeated by San Antonio in the next round.^[82]

1999–2004: Bryant, O'Neal, and Jackson era

Prior to the 1999–2000 season, the Lakers hired former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson, and signed veterans Brian Shaw, John Salley, Ron Harper, and A. C. Green, who was with the Lakers during the "Showtime" era.^[76] The team also moved to a new arena, the Staples Center.^[83]
Led by league MVP O'Neal, the Lakers won 31 of their first 36 games.^[84] They finished with 67 wins, their highest total since they won 65 in the 1986–87 season.^[84] The team eliminated the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix in the first two rounds of the playoffs.^[85] After taking a three games to one lead in the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers won the next two games to force a game seven.^[86] The Lakers were down by 15 points in the fourth quarter but went on a 19–4 run to tie the game.^[86] They won 89–84 to advance to the NBA Finals.^[86] They defeated Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers 4–2 in the 2000 NBA Finals to win their first title since 1988.^[87] The following season, the team won 11 fewer regular season games,^[88] but swept the first three rounds of the playoffs, defeating the Trail Blazers, Kings, and Spurs.^[89] They met Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals. Although the Sixers took game one in overtime,^[90] the Lakers won the next four games to win their second straight title. They finished with a 15–1 record in the postseason, the best in NBA history.^[91]
The Lakers won 58 games in 2001–02 but Sacramento won the Pacific Division.^[92] In the playoffs, they swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, and defeated the Spurs 4–1 in the second.^[92] They faced the Kings in the Western Conference Finals; the series went to seven games, the last of which ended in a six-point overtime win by the Lakers.^[93] The club then achieved a three-peat by sweeping the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals.^[94] O'Neal won each of the Finals series' MVP awards, making him the only player besides Michael Jordan to win three consecutive Finals MVPs.^[95]
The Lakers started the 2002–03 season 11–19.^[96] They went 39–13 the rest of the way to finish with 50 wins.^[97] They defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2003 NBA Playoffs, but were eliminated by San Antonio in six games in the second round.^[98] The following offseason, the Lakers signed two-time MVP Karl Malone and former Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton.^[99] Three of the "big four", however, struggled with injuries: Shaquille O'Neal suffered from a strained calf, Karl Malone an injured knee and Kobe Bryant an injured shoulder.^[100][101] The Lakers started 18–3 and finished with a 56–26 record. They won the Pacific Division title, and entered the playoffs as the number two seed. They defeated the Rockets, Spurs, and Timberwolves in the first three rounds of the 2004 NBA Playoffs, before succumbing to Detroit in five games in the 2004 NBA Finals.^[102] The 2003–04 team played in a media circus created by the teaming of four stars and the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case.^[103] During the 2004 offseason, 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.^[104] Bryant and O'Neal had clashed in the past,^[105] and the media credited their feud as one of the motivating factors for the trade.^[106] Jackson did not return as head coach, and wrote a book about the Lakers 2003–04 season where he heavily criticized Bryant, blaming him for the team's lack of success.^[107][108] The Lakers front office said that the book contained "several inaccuracies".^[109]

2004–2007: Rebuilding

The Lakers traded Rick Fox and Gary Payton to Boston, for Chris Mihm, Marcus Banks, and Chucky Atkins before the 2004–05 season.^[112] Derek Fisher, frustrated with losing playing time, opted out of his contract and signed with the Warriors.^[112] The team hired Rudy Tomjanovich to replace Jackson.^[112] Without playing a single game in the 2004–05 season, Karl Malone announced his retirement on February 13, 2005.^[113] Tomjanovich coached the team to a 22–19 record before resigning due to health problems. Assistant Frank Hamblen was named interim head coach to replace Tomjanovich for the remainder of the season.^[114] Bryant (ankle) and Odom (shoulder) suffered injuries, and the Lakers finished 34–48, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in franchise history.^[6]
With the tenth overall pick in the draft, the Lakers selected Andrew Bynum, a center from St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey.^[115] The team also traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to the Washington Wizards for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit.^[116] Jackson returned to coach the team after Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through the previous season.^[117] On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest total in NBA history.^[118] Ending the season with a 45–37 record, the team made the playoffs after a one season absence.^[119] After taking a three games to one lead in the first round, the Suns came back to take the series in seven games.^[120] In the following season, they won 26 of their first 39 games,^[121] but lost 27 of their last 43—including a seven in a row at one point—to finish 42–40.^[121] They were eliminated in the first round by the Suns again, 4–1.^[121]

2007–present: Return to championship form

After re-acquiring Derek Fisher, the Lakers started the 2007–08 season 25–11, before Bynum, who was leading the league in field-goal percentage, went out for the year with a knee injury in mid January.^[122] The Lakers acquired power forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade in early February.^[123] The Lakers 57–25 record earned them the first seed in the Western Conference.^[124] Kobe Bryant was awarded the league's MVP award, becoming the first Laker to win the award since O'Neal in 2000.^[125][126] In the playoffs, they defeated Denver in four games, the Jazz in six, and the defending champion Spurs in five, but lost to Boston in six games in the NBA Finals.^[127]
In the 2008–09 NBA season, the Lakers finished with the best record in the Western Conference at 65–17.^[128] They defeated the Jazz in five games, Houston in seven, and the Nuggets in six, to win the Western Conference title, and won their fifteenth NBA championship by defeating the Orlando Magic in five games in the NBA Finals.^[129] Kobe Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career.^[130]
Adding Ron Artest in place of Trevor Ariza in their starting lineup, the Lakers finished the 2009–10 season with the West's best record for the third straight season. On January 13, 2010, the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to win 3,000 regular season games, in a 100–95 win against the Dallas Mavericks.^[131] They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah, and Phoenix in the Western Conference playoffs. In the 2010 NBA Finals, the Lakers played the Celtics for the 12th time. The Lakers rallied from a 3–2 series disadvantage and erased a 13-point deficit in the seventh and deciding game to defeat Boston. The series win gave them their 16th title and 11th in Los Angeles.^[132] Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP for the second consecutive year.^[133]

Lakers-Celtics rivalry

The Lakers have had a long rivalry with the Boston Celtics. They have met in the NBA Finals 12 times with the Celtics winning nine times and the Lakers three times. The first meeting in the Finals was in 1959. Despite being swept by the Celtics in 1959, the Lakers managed to keep every game close.^[134] The teams met six more times in the sixties, with the Celtics winning each time.^[31] The teams renewed their Finals rivalry in the 1980s, meeting three times (1984, 1985, and 1987).^[31] The 1984 series was hyped by the media as Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson.^[135] Their last meeting in the finals was in 2010, where the Lakers defeated the Celtics in seven games to win their sixteenth title.

Ownerships, financial history, and fanbase

Berger and Chalfen purchased the NBL's Detroit Gems for $15,000 in 1947, relocated them to Minnesota, and changed their name to the Lakers. 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 (2/3) interest.^[137] 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.^[138] 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.^[139][138] Mikan offered to mortgage his home in an attempt to buy the team and keep the club in Minnesota.^[140] The Lakers were sold to a group of investors led by Bob Short however.^[137] The team was sold to Short's group with the agreement that it would not be relocated to Kansas City but kept in Minnesota.^[141] 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.^[137] By 1958 Short had become 80% owner of the team by buying out his partners,^[137] 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.^[142] Aided by Baylor's drawing power,^[143] and the new locale, the team's finances improved when they arrived in LA.^[144] Short sold the team to Washington Redskins owner and publisher Jack Kent Cooke in 1965 for a then league record amount of $5,175,000.^[145]
Cooke personally financed construction of the Forum in 1967 at a cost of $16.5 million.^[146][147] He owned the team until 1979 when he sold it, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, the Forum, and some real estate to current majority owner Jerry Buss for $67 million.^[148] Buss was a local chemical engineer who had gotten wealthy in real estate.^[147] Philip Anschutz bought a stake in the team in 1998,^[136] and until October 2010 Magic Johnson was a minority owner as well. 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.^[136] Fast food chain Jack in the Box is another major sponsor, the company gives all fans in attendance at home games a coupon for two free tacos if the Lakers hold their opponent under 100 points and win. The company also sponsors the team's halftime shows on KCAL-TV and Fox Sports West.^[149]
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. Jack Nicholson, for example, has held season tickets since the 1970s, and directors reportedly need to work their shooting schedules around Lakers home games.^[150] From 2002 and 2007 the team averaged just over 18,900 fans, which placed them in the top ten in the NBA in attendance. The team has sold out every home game since the 2007–08 season.^[151] As of 2010, the Lakers have the most popular team merchandise among all NBA teams, and Bryant the most popular NBA jersey.^[152]

Name, logo and uniforms

The Laker nickname came from the state of Minnesota being the Land of 10,000 Lakes.^[3] The team's colors are purple, gold and white.^[153] The Lakers logo consists of the team name, "Los Angeles Lakers" written in purple on top of a gold basketball. Purple uniforms are used for road games and gold uniforms are used for home games. The team also wears white jerseys for Sunday and holiday home games.^[154]

Home

Away

Alternate

Season-by-season records

Since the Lakers were established in 1948, the team has missed the playoffs just five times. The team has 16 NBA titles and has appeared in the NBA Finals 15 other times.^[6] These appearances include eight NBA Finals appearances in the 80s. The best record posted by the team was 69–13, in 1972; the worst record was 19–53, in 1957–58.^[6] The Lakers are one of three teams to have never lost 60 games in a season. The other teams are the New York Knicks and the New Orleans/Utah Jazz.^[155]

Franchise and NBA records

Abdul-Jabbar holds most individual team records for longevity including most games played, and second most minutes logged. 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 with 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 season (38.3) and 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 numbers one (35.4) and four (31.6) spots, while Baylor has the second (34.8), and third (34.0), and West the fifth (31.3).^[156][157]
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.^[158] Highest field-goal percentage for a season at 54.5% (1984–85),^[159] and highest road winning percentage at .816 (1971–72). The 2000–01 team tied the NBA record for best playoff record at 15–1.^[158] 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).^[160]

Home arenas

The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, located at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles. The Staples Center opened in 1999 and seats up to 18,997 for Laker games.^[161] The Staples Center is also home to fellow NBA team Los Angeles Clippers, the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings.^[161] The arena is owned and operated by AEG and L.A. Arena Company.^[161] Before moving to Staples Center, the Lakers played their home games at The Forum in Inglewood, California for 31 years.^[83] In the first seven years in Los Angeles, the team played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.^[162] While the team played in Minneapolis, the team played their home games at the Minneapolis Auditorium, from 1947 to 1960.^[163]

Players

Current roster

Los Angeles Lakers roster v • d • e
Players	Coaches
{{player2 | num = 17 | nat = USA | first = Andrew | last = Bynum | pos = C | ft = 7 | in = 0 | lbs = 285 | school = SJHS (NJ)| inj = yes | {{player2 | num = 2 | nat = USA | first = Derek | last = Fisher | pos = G | ft = 6 | in = 1 | lbs = 210 | college = University of Arkansas at Little Rock| {{player2 | num = 7 | nat = USA | first = Lamar | last = Odom | pos = F | ft = 6 | in = 10 | lbs = 230 | college = Rhode Island | Pos. # Nat. Name Ht. Wt. From 4.0 !F 15 USA ! Artest, Ron 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 260 lb (118 kg) St. John's 4.0 !F 9 USA ! Barnes, Matt 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 226 lb (103 kg) UCLA 1.5 !G 5 USA ! Blake, Steve 75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Maryland 1.5 !G 12 USA ! Brown, Shannon 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Michigan State 1.5 !G 24 USA ! Bryant, Kobe (C) 78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Lower Merion HS (PA)* 4.0 !F 45 USA ! Caracter, Derrick 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Texas-El Paso 4.0 !F 3 USA ! Ebanks, Devin 81 !6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) West Virginia 5.5 !F/C 16 ESP ! Gasol, Pau 84 !7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Spain 6.0 !C 50 USA ! Ratliff, Theo  82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Wyoming 1.5 !G 18 SLO ! Vujačić, Sasha 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Slovenia 4.0 !F 4 USA ! Walton, Luke 80 !6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Arizona	Head coach Phil Jackson (North Dakota) Assistant coach(es) Frank Hamblen (Syracuse) Brian Shaw (UC Santa Barbara) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (UCLA) Craig Hodges (Long Beach State) Jim Cleamons (Ohio State) Chuck Person (Auburn) Athletic trainer(s) Gary Vitti (Southern Connecticut State*) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (IN) Inactive (S) Suspended Injured Roster • Transactions Last transaction: 2010-10-21

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).^[164] The Lakers have also had two Lottery picks in their history: Eddie Jones (selected tenth overall in 1994) and Andrew Bynum (selected tenth overall in 2005).^[164] Other draft picks include Jerry West, Gail Goodrich in the 1960s, Michael Cooper, 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.^[164]

Retired and honored numbers

The Lakers have retired seven jersey numbers and an honorary microphone in honor of their players and broadcaster:^[165][166]

13 Wilt Chamberlain, C, 1968–1973 22 Elgin Baylor, F, 1958–1971 25 Gail Goodrich, G, 1965–1968; 1970–1976 32 Magic Johnson, G, 1979–1991; 1996 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, C, 1975–1989 42 James Worthy, F, 1982–1994 44 Jerry West, G, 1960–1974 Microphone Chick Hearn 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:[167] 17 Jim Pollard, F, 1948–1955, head coach, 1960 19 Vern Mikkelsen, F, 1949–1959 22 Slater Martin, G, 1949–1956 34 Clyde Lovellette, F/C, 1953–1957 99 George Mikan, C, 1948–1954; 1955–1956, head coach, 1957–1958 999 John Kundla, head coach, 1948–1957; 1958–1959

Head coaches

There have been 21 head coaches for the Lakers franchise. The franchise won their first five BAA/NBA championships, from 1949 to 1954, all while coached by John Kundla.^[19] Pat Riley was the franchise's all-time leader in both regular season and playoff games coached and wins.^[168] Phil Jackson broke Riley's regular season wins record in 2009, and in 2010, he passed Riley's playoff wins and games coached records.^[168] 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, and Kurt Rambis have all played and head coached for the Lakers. Jackson, in his second term, has been head coach of the Lakers since the 2005–06 season.^[169]

Hall of Famers

The Lakers have 21 Hall of Famers (15 players, 4 head coaches, and 2 contributors) who contributed to the organization. The Hall of Fame players include (in alphabetical order): Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Connie Hawkins, Magic Johnson, Clyde Lovellette, Karl Malone, Slater Martin, Bob McAdoo, George Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, Jim Pollard, James Worthy and Jerry West. The Hall of Fame coachs include (in alphabetical order): Phil Jackson, John Kundla, Pat Riley and Bill Sharman.^[170] Chick Hearn was the Lakers broadcaster for 42 seasons until his death in 2002; he was inducted to the Hall of Fame a year later.^[171] Long-time owner Jerry Buss was inducted in 2010 for "building one of the most successful organizations in the history of professional sports."^[172]

Media

Chick Hearn was the team's broadcaster for 41 years until his death in 2002. Hearn broadcasted 3,338 consecutive games between November 21, 1965, and December 16, 2001.^[173] Paul Sunderland, who had filled in for a couple of games while Hearn recuperated in 2001–02, was named the permanent play-by-play announcer. Stu Lantz was retained as the color commentator.^[174] Sunderland's contract expired in the summer of 2005, and the team chose not to renew it.^[175] Joel Meyers moved in alongside Lantz as the TV announcer, while Spero Dedes and former Laker player Mychal Thompson on the radio. Those remain the current teams for television and radio.^[176]
As of the 2009–10 season, Lakers radio broadcasts are heard on KSPN (Los Angeles ESPN Radio affiliate) in English and KWKW in Spanish.^[176][177] KLAC had the team's radio broadcast rights from the 1976–77 season until the 2008–09 season.^[177][178] Telecasts are split between KCAL-TV (road games) and Fox Sports West (home games), unless they are chosen for national broadcasts on ABC.^[179] KCAL has been the Lakers' over-the-air television broadcaster since 1977, dating back to when the station was the RKO General-owned KHJ-TV, which is longer than any other station currently airing NBA games. Prior to KHJ, Laker games were televised on KTLA. The team games are broadcasted in High Definition on Fox Sports West HD, and on KCAL HD.^[180]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Los Angeles Lakers

• Los Angeles Lakers official website

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