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the lakers blowwww
{{current sport-related|mini=1|2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers season}}
{{NBA team |
color1 = #FFD700|
color2 = #4B0082|
name = Los Angeles Lakers |
logo = Los Angeles Lakers logo.png |
imagesize = 120px |
conference = ]|
division = Pacific Division |

founded = 1946|
history = '''Detroit Gems''' <br> 1946-1947 <br> '''Minneapolis Lakers''' <br> 1947-1960 <br> '''Los Angeles Lakers''' <br> 1960-present |
arena = ]|
city = ] |
colors = Purple, Gold and White |
coach = ] |
General Manager = ] |
owner = ] |
affiliate = ] |
league_champs = '''NBL:''' '''1''' (]) <br> '''BAA/NBA:''' '''14''' (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]) |
conf_champs better than cletics!!= '''28''' (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]) |
div_champsbetter than celtics!! = '''NBL:''' '''1''' (]) <br> '''NBA:''' '''26''' (], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]) |
}}
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: ] and ] were part of the Showtime team in the 1980's. ]] -->
The '''Los Angeles Lakers''' are a ] (NBA) team based in ]. The Lakers play their home games at ], which they share with the ], their sister team the ] of the ], the ] of the ], the ] of the ] and the ]'s ].

The Laker franchise was founded in ] before moving to ], where the team got its official title from the ]'s nickname, and won 5 league championships within the various leagues before locating to Los Angeles. In the late ] and early ], the Lakers popularity soared,which made them become one of the most successful franchises in the NBA with superstar players ], ] and coach ] winning five titles in the that span, with 3 championship series ], the ].

In the ], the trio of coach ], ] and ] brought three straight championships before falling apart then culminating in O'Neal being traded to the ]. Only Bryant, Jackson, and ], after brief stops with the ] and ], remain from the champion years. Most recently, the team finished 42-40 in the ], Jackson's worst record of his coaching career.

The Lakers are notable for having (at the end of the 2005&ndash;06 season) the most wins (2,806), the highest winning percentage (61.5%), the most finals appearances (28) of any NBA franchise, and the second most championships (14, behind the ]' 16).<ref name="ballref">http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/</ref> They are generally regarded as one of the NBA's most successful franchises. They hold the record for the longest consecutive win streak (33) in ] professional team sports. The franchise has only missed the NBA playoffs 5 times.<ref>http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/</ref> According to '']'' magazine, the Lakers are the second most valuable basketball franchise in the ], valued at approximately $568 million, surpassed only by the ].<ref></ref>

==Team history==
{{main|History of the Los Angeles Lakers}}
<!-- Commented out because image was deleted: ] -->

The Lakers began in 1944 when ] and ] bought the Detroit Gems of the ] for $15,000. The team was relocated to Minneapolis for the 1947 season. As the Gems had by far the worst record in the NBL, the Lakers had the first pick in the 1947 dispersal draft of players from the Professional Basketball League of America, which they used to select ], later to become arguably the greatest ] of his time. With Mikan, new coach ] and an infusion of former ] players, the Lakers won the NBL championship in that 1947-48 season and joined three other NBL teams in jumping to the ], where they promptly won the 1948-49 BAA championship. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949.

]

The Minneapolis Lakers were one of the dominant teams of the fledgling NBA. With ] ], ], ], ], and ], they were the NBA's first "dynasty", winning five championships in six years (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954).

After their move to Los Angeles in 1960, the team would go on to feature Hall of Famers ], ], ], and ]. But despite the wealth of talent, they were repeatedly foiled by the ], losing the championship to them six times in eight years. It wasn't until 1972, when the Lakers strung together a record 33-game win streak under ] ], that they were able to secure their first championship in Los Angeles. However, even with the addition of ], the Lakers weren't able to win another championship until the arrival of ] in 1979, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1980 championship series.(thanks to an MVP performance by the rookie Johnson, who, starting for the injured Abdul-Jabbar, had 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists to clinch the series). Under coach ], a former Laker player, the Lakers then went on to dominate the 1980s, appearing in the finals eight times in the decade and being crowned champions five times, including consecutive championships in 1987 and 1988, the first team to do so since Boston in 1969.

Although they made another finals appearance in 1991, they spent most of the 1990s fielding teams that were not considered legitimate title contenders. However, during the 1996 offseason, the Lakers signed ] and acquired rookie ] from the ]. Following the hiring of ] as head coach in 1999, the team returned to championship form; led by O'Neal, Bryant, and a talented supporting cast, the Lakers won three consecutive NBA Finals from 2000-02.

Most recently, the Lakers endured a series of off-the-court problems, largely the result of friction among O'Neal, Bryant, and Jackson. In 2004, O'Neal was traded to the ] and Jackson temporarily retired. After the Lakers struggled in 2004-05, Jackson returned for the following season, and the Bryant-led team returned to the postseason, losing to the Phoenix Suns in the first round in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. Later in the offseason, rumours abounded that Kobe Bryant, the Laker's star player, requested to be traded. The Lakers did not trade Bryant. The rumours of Bryant being traded died down when the Lakers traded ] and ] for ] on November 20, 2007. Another blockbuster trade came on February 1, 2008 when they sent center ], guard ], veteran ], the draft rights to ], and two first round draft picks in 2008 and 2010 to the ] for ] and a second round draft choice in 2010.

==Celebrity fans==
]

Given the team's proximity to ], the Lakers fan base includes many famous actors and musicians who are regularly seen at home games. ] is the most prominent member of this group, having held season tickets since the 1970s.<ref name="celfans">{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/features/lakers_celebs_070309.html |title=TOP 10 CELEBRITY LAKERS FANS |work=NBA.com |accessdate=2007-09-06}}</ref> Other celebrities known as long-standing ticket-holders include <!--

There are already (more than) enough celebrity fans listed here to make the relevant point. Please do not add any more. Yes, there are many other celebs who also attend. But adding your favorite one, or whomever you saw at the last game, does not help make the point any clearer to the reader. So at this point, adding more names to this list is just increasing clutter.

--> ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] (who is good friends with ]).
The members of the Southern ]-based ] are also known to be longtime Laker fans.<ref name="celfans"/> The songs "Salute to Kareem" and "]", a tribute to the "]"-era Lakers, can be found on the band's album '']''.<ref name="celfans"/> As of the ], Chili Peppers' bassist ], a ] Lakers fanatic, writes a blog on the Lakers for NBA.com.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/chat_and_mailboxes/flea.html |title=NBA.com Blog: Flea |work=NBA.com |accessdate=2007-09-06}}</ref> The musician ] of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle can often be seen in photos wearing a Laker jersey.

== Logo and uniforms ==
{{Mergefrom | Logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers| Talk:Logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers#Merge proposal |date=January 2008 }}
The Lakers are notable in that they are the only team in the NBA not to wear primarily white at home. However, since the ] the team has worn white jerseys on Sunday and holiday home games. The white jerseys were designed by Lakers owner Jerry Buss' daughter Jeannie Buss, in tribute to ], who was regarded as the voice of the team for forty years until his death in ].

In a rather unusual move, the team wore their home gold uniforms on the road in their ], ] game against the ] at ] as opposed to their purple away uniforms, but both the Lakers and the Knicks were wearing throwback uniforms during the game, so the Lakers home gold uniforms were older versions. This was the game that ] surpassed ] as the youngest player to reach 20,000 points. Similarly, they wore the gold uniforms in a game against the ] two nights before with both teams again wearing throwback uniforms. However, during their ] game at ], the Lakers wore their regular purple road jerseys despite the fact that it was a "Hardwood Classics Nights" game, with the Pistons wearing their 1958 home jerseys. <ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271223018</ref>

In a home game vs. the ] on ], ], the Lakers again wore their gold throwbacks, but wore short shorts from the 1980's in the first half and returned to the longer ones for the second half.

==Season-by-season records==
{{see|Los Angeles Lakers seasons}}

==Franchise and NBA records==
{{see|Los Angeles Lakers accomplishments and records}}

==Home arenas==
*] (1947-1959)
*] (1959-60)
**(Due to scheduling conflicts, the Lakers actually played in both the Auditorium and the Armory throughout the 1947-60 period. They also played some games in the ].)
*] (1960-1967)
*] (formerly ''Great Western Forum'' from 1988-1999) (1967-1999)
*] (1999-present)

==Players==
===Current roster===
{{Los Angeles Lakers}}

===Current depth chart===
{| style="text-align: center; background:#6137ad; color:#ffcd35"
!width="40"|Pos.
!width="165"|Starter
!width="165"|Bench
!width="165"|Reserve
!width="165"|Inactive
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:#008040"
! style="background:#ffcd35" | ]
| ] || ] || || style="background:#d6c9ed" | ] ],] ]
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:#008040"
! style="background:#ffcd35" | ]
| ] || ] || || style="background:#d6c9ed"|
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:#008040"
! style="background:#ffcd35" | ]
| ] || || || style="background:#d6c9ed" | ] ] ] ]
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:#008040" || ||
! style="background:#ffcd35" | ]
| ] ]
|| ] || ] || style="background:#d6c9ed"|
|-style="height:40px; background:white; color:#008040"
! style="background:#ffcd35" | ]
| ] || ] || || style="background:#d6c9ed"|
|}

===Notable former players===
:''For the complete list of Los Angeles Lakers players see: ].''
<!-- Alphabetical order, please! DO NOT add players who are on the roster now. Don't add players just because they played for the Lakers. People in this list should have been a both big part of the team and/or have made an impact in the league. Also, don't add players who have their number retired on this team, as this list is for notable former players without retired numbers. -->
{|
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|width="45"|
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==Notable Head Coaches==
*] -- First Head Coach, 1948-58 and 1959; 1949 BAA Champions; 1950 and 1952-54 NBA Champions; 1951 and 1957 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 423-302 in regular season, 60-35 in playoffs
*] -- 1960-67; 1962-63 and 1965-66 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 315-245 in regular season, 33-38 in playoffs
*] -- 1967-69; 1969 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 107-57 in regular season, 21-12 in playoffs.
*] -- 1969-71; 1971 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 94-70 in regular season, 16-14 in playoffs
*] -- 1971-76; 1972 NBA Champions, 1973 Western Conference Champions and 1974 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 246-164 in regular season, 22-15 in playoffs.
*] -- 1979-81; 1980 NBA Champions. Win-Loss record: 111-50 in regular season, 13-6 in playoffs.
*] Head Coach 1981-90; 1982, 1985 and 1987-88 NBA Champions; 1983-84 and 1989 Western Conference Champions; 1986 and 1990 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 613-194 in regular season, 102-47 in playoffs.
*] -- 1990-92; Win-Loss record: 101-63 in regular season, 13-10 in playoffs.
*] -- 1992-94; Win-Loss record: 66-80 in regular season, 2-3 in playoffs.
*] -- 1994 Win-Loss record 5-11.
*] -- 1994–99; 1998 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 224-116 in regular season, 17-19 in playoffs.
*] -- 2004-05; Win-Loss record: 24-19.
*] -- 1999-2004 and 2005-present; 2000-02 NBA Champions and 2004 Western Conference Champions. Win-Loss record: 332-160 in regular season, 64-28 in playoffs.
{{LosAngelesLakersCoach}}

==Trivia==
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}
]
*As the Minneapolis Lakers, the team holds the record for the lowest-scoring NBA game ever played along with the ]. On ], ], the Lakers were leading until the fourth quarter, when the Pistons pulled ahead to win 19-18. This took place in a time before efforts were made to speed up gameplay, such as the addition of the ].
*] legend ] claims in his book ''Super/System'' that the (then) Minneapolis Lakers had been making offers to sign him while he was playing college basketball, until he broke his leg hauling sheet rock.
*Los Angeles is the only city to have two NBA teams (the other team being the ]).
*The Lakers and ] have a tradition of playing each other on ]. There has been a meeting between the Lakers and Heat on this day every year since 2004, after ] ] was traded to Miami during the summer of 2004. However, this season will not have a Lakers-Heat match on Christmas Day, though, they will still appear on that day facing the ] (Shaq's new team) and the ] respectively.
*Former owner Jack Kent Cooke liked the color purple but disliked the term ''purple''. As a result, during the era of his ownership, the colors he had chosen for his team were referred to as "forum blue" and gold, rather than purple and gold. Even after Cooke sold the team, announcer Chick Hearn still sometimes used the description when describing the uniforms.
*The Los Angeles Lakers were the first team to own a ] team, the ].
*]'s 81-point performance against the ] on January 22, 2006 was the second highest point total in league history next to ]'s ] against the ] on March 2, 1962.
*In the videogame '']'' there is an unlockable video titled "How to Stop the Lakers" in reference to their championship runs in the early ].
*In 1969, Jerry West became the only player on the losing team ever to win the ].

==Radio and television==
As noted above, ] was the team's broadcaster for 42 years until his death in ]. After Hearn's death, the Lakers decided to continue ] of games that had begun when he was the voice. ], who had filled in for a few games while Hearn recuperated in ], was named the permanent ] announcer effective with the ]. ] was retained as ].

In ], the Lakers decided to end the simulcasts. Sunderland's voice would be heard only on the telecasts, while ] and ], the latter a member of the 1987-88 Lakers championship team, was named as the team on radio broadcasts.

Sunderland's contract expired in the summer of ], and the team chose not to renew it. Meyers moved in alongside Lantz as the TV announcer, while ] was named to call play-by-play on radio. The current teams are Dedes and Thompson (radio) and Meyers and Lantz (TV).

As of ], Lakers radio broadcasts are heard on ] in English and ] in Spanish. KLAC has had the team's broadcast rights since the ]. Telecasts are split between ] (road games) and ] (home games), unless they are chosen for national broadcasts on ] or ]. KCAL has been the Lakers' over-the-air television home since ]--longer than any other other station currently airing NBA games.

While all games are broadcast live on local radio, select road telecasts from ] cities are shown on ], usually 60 to 90 minutes after the actual starting time. The explanation given is to increase ] by showing the game at a more convenient time to local fans, who live three time zones away from the site of the game. During the simulcast years, these games were also delayed on radio.

==References==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
</div>

==External links==
*

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| title = NBL Champions<br>Minneapolis Lakers
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{{end}}

{{Minneapolis Lakers 1948-49 BAA champions}}
{{Minneapolis Lakers 1949-50 NBA champions}}
{{Minneapolis Lakers 1951-52 NBA champions}}
{{Minneapolis Lakers 1952-53 NBA champions}}
{{Minneapolis Lakers 1953-54 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1971-72 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1979-80 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1981-82 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1984-85 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1986-87 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1987-88 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 1999-2000 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 2000-01 NBA champions}}
{{Los Angeles Lakers 2001-02 NBA champions}}

{{NBA}}

{{Greater Los Angeles Area Sports}}

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Revision as of 16:22, 26 February 2008

the lakers blowwww