Los Angeles Lakers Tickets

Kobe Bryant single-handedly carried the Lakers on his back throughout the season and into the playoffs. He and Phil Jackson will need some help if the Lakers are to rise to the top of the NBA once again.

Staff Writer Nichole P. Pingel
The Lakers are one of the NBA’s oldest and most successful franchises. Before moving to Los Angeles in 1960, the Lakers made Minneapolis their home. The Minneapolis Lakers found the NBA’s first superstar in George Mikan and won the league’s first championship in 1950. Mikan also led the Lakers to back-to-back titles in 1952 and 1953, making the Minneapolis Lakers professional basketball’s first dynasty. One year later, Mikan retired, but not before the Lakers won their third straight NBA Championship. In 1958 Minneapolis selected Elgin Baylor as the first pick overall in the NBA Draft.

In 1960 the Minneapolis Lakers became the Los Angeles Lakers when the team found a new home at the Great Western Forum. In addition, the team used an early draft pick to add Jerry West to its roster. Two years later, Baylor and West led the Lakers to the first of nine NBA Finals meetings with the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles closed the 1960s with the addition of Wilt Chamberlain to the Lakers roster.

During Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals, West hit a 60-ft. shot at the buzzer to earn the name “Mr. Clutch.” Two years later, Baylor retired after he, Chamberlain and West led the Lakers to a 33-game winning streak (an American professional sports record) and their first NBA Championship since 1954. The next two seasons brought the retirement of Chamberlain and West, respectively. In 1975 the Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Los Angeles opens the 1980s with “Showtime” by selecting Ervin “Magic” Johnson as the No.1 draft pick. In the Finals, Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and the Lakers faced Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers. With Johnson at center, Los Angeles won their first of five NBA Championships that decade. Pat Riley became head coach of the Lakers in 1981 and led the “Showtime” Lakers to a NBA title his first year. The team’s playoff record that year was 12-2. Los Angeles did find itself in somewhat of an embarrassing situation during the offseason, however. Despite winning the NBA Championship, the Lakers also ended up with a No. 1 draft selection. As a result, James Worthy joined Los Angeles in 1982. The combination of Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson and Worthy established the Lakers as a powerhouse in the 1980s. Los Angeles and Boston met in the NBA Finals three more times before the end of the decade, with the Lakers finally winning in 1985 and 1987. In 1988 Los Angeles defeated the Detroit Pistons in six games to win their 10th NBA title.

The beginning of the 1990s saw the end of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 20-year career, as well as Pat Riley’s reign as coach; leaving behind nine Pacific Division titles and four NBA Championships. “Showtime” was definitely over, as Magic Johnson announced his retirement on November 7, 1991 having tested positive for the HIV virus. His playing days were not entirely over, however, as he joined Michael Jordan and Larry Bird for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. There, the USA’s Dream Team won a gold medal. The 1994-95 season saw Del Harris as the new coach in Los Angeles. The Lakers then acquired Shaquille O’Neal after the 1995-96 season and added Robert Horry and high-schooler Kobe Bryant to the roster a year later, giving Los Angeles a new-look Lakers team. With Rick Fox and Derek Fisher now on board, O’Neal, Bryant and Horry led the Lakers to a 61-win season in 1998. The elements of a championship were finally taking shape. A year lat er, the Lakers would play their last game at the Great Western Forum and add Glen Rice to the team while Kurt Rambis became the new coach.

No NBA team opened Y2K better than the Lakers. With a new home in the fabulous 18,997-seat STAPLES Center, a new, legendary coach in Phil Jackson, one of the most experienced coaching staffs in the league with Tex Winter, Frank Hamblen, Jim Cleamons and Bill Bertka and a roster that included O’Neal, Bryant, Rice, A.C. Green, Ron Harper, John Salley and Brian Shaw, Los Angeles was set not only to win its first NBA Championship since 1988, but also to lead the league with a winning record of 67-15. A year later, L.A. traded Rice for Horace Grant and went on to repeat as league champions. Lindsey Hunter, Samaki Walker and Mitch Richmond join the Lakers the next season, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a three-peat. More changes were ahead for the team as two more future Hall of Famers, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, join the squad, hoping to finally claim a ring before retiring. Their wishes would not be fulfilled, however, as injuries and Bryant’s and O’Neal’s bickering began to self-destruct the Lakers. As a result, O’Neal began the 2004-05 season in Miami, under coach Pat Riley; and the rest, as they say, is history.

For more information on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit www.nba.com/lakers