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Template:NBA team 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 the Los Angeles Clippers, their sister team the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League, the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League and the NBA Development League's Los Angeles D-Fenders.

The Laker franchise was founded in Detroit before moving to n culminating in O'Neal being traded to the Miami Heat. Only Bryant, Jackson, and Derek Fisher, after brief stops with the Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz, remain from the champion years. Most recently, the team finished 42-40 in the 2006-07 NBA season, Jackson's worst record of his coaching career.

The Lakers are notable for having (at the end of the 2005–06 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 Boston Celtics' 16). 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 U.S. professional team sports. The franchise has only missed the NBA playoffs 5 times. According to Forbes magazine, the Lakers are the second most valuable basketball franchise in the United States, valued at approximately $568 million, surpassed only by the New York Knicks.

Team History

Main article: History of the Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers began in 1944 when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen bought the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League 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 George Mikan, later to become arguably the greatest center of his time. With Mikan, new coach John Kundla and an infusion of former University of Minnesota players, the Lakers won the NBL championship in that 1947-48 season and joined three other NBL teams in jumping to the Basketball Association of America, where they promptly won the 1948-49 BAA championship. The NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949.

Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform.

The Minneapolis Lakers were one of the dominant teams of the fledgling NBA. With Hall of Famers George Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, and Clyde Lovellette, 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 Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Wilt Chamberlain. But despite the wealth of talent, they were repeatedly foiled by the Boston Celtics, 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 Coach of the Year Bill Sharman, that they were able to secure their first championship in Los Angeles. However, even with the addition of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers weren't able to win another championship until the arrival of Earvin "Magic" Johnson 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 Pat Riley, 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 Shaquille O'Neal and acquired rookie Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets. Following the hiring of Phil Jackson 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 Miami Heat 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 Maurice Evans and Brian Cook for Trevor Ariza on November 20, 2007. Another blockbuster trade came on February 1, 2008 when they sent center Kwame Brown, guard Javaris Crittenton, veteran Aaron Mckie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and two first round draft picks in 2008 and 2010 to the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol and a second round draft choice in 2010.

After the acquisition of Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers have been surging and is largely considered to be among the best clubs of the 2008 season. As of February 28, 2008, they currently hold a 10 game winning streak and have won 11 out of the last 12 games.

Celebrity fans

Lakers fan Jack Nicholson

Given the team's proximity to Hollywood, the Lakers fan base includes many famous actors and musicians who are regularly seen at home games. Jack Nicholson is the most prominent member of this group, having held season tickets since the 1970s. Other celebrities known as long-standing ticket-holders include Lou Adler, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Leonardo Dicaprio, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Dreyfuss, Pete Sampras, Andy Garcia, Penny Marshall, Ice Cube, Sylvester Stallone, Dyan Cannon, Tobey Maguire, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek, The Game, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Ray Lewis, and Tyra Banks (who is good friends with Kobe Bryant). The members of the Southern California-based Red Hot Chili Peppers are also known to be longtime Laker fans. The songs "Salute to Kareem" and "Magic Johnson", a tribute to the "Showtime"-era Lakers, can be found on the band's album Mother's Milk. As of the 2006-2007 season, Chili Peppers' bassist Flea, a self-proclaimed Lakers fanatic, writes a blog on the Lakers for NBA.com. The musician Mike Patton of Faith No More and Mr. Bungle can often be seen in photos wearing a Laker jersey.

Logo and uniforms

It has been suggested that Logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers and Talk:Logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers#Merge proposal be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since 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 2002-03 season 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 Chick Hearn, who was regarded as the voice of the team for forty years until his death in August 2002.

In a rather unusual move, the team wore their home gold uniforms on the road in their December 23, 2007 game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden 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 Kobe Bryant surpassed Wilt Chamberlain as the youngest player to reach 20,000 points. Similarly, they wore the gold uniforms in a game against the Sixers two nights before with both teams again wearing throwback uniforms. However, during their January 31 game at Detroit, 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.

In a home game vs. the Boston Celtics on December 30, 2007, 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

Further information: Los Angeles Lakers seasons

Franchise and NBA records

Further information: Los Angeles Lakers accomplishments and records

Home arenas

Players

Current roster

Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G 12 Christie, Max 6 ft 5 in (1.96 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 17 Finney-Smith, Dorian 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1993-05-04 Florida
F 28 Hachimura, Rui 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1998-02-08 Gonzaga
F/C 11 Hayes, Jaxson 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2000-05-23 Texas
G 0 Hood-Schifino, Jalen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2003-06-19 Indiana
G 9 James, Bronny 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2004-10-06 USC
F 23 James, LeBron 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1984-12-30 St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH)
G/F 4 Knecht, Dalton 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2001-04-19 Tennessee
C 10 Koloko, Christian (TW) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2000-06-20 Arizona
G 20 Milton, Shake 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1996-09-26 SMU
G 41 Olivari, Quincy (TW) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2001-05-27 Xavier
G 15 Reaves, Austin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1998-05-29 Oklahoma
G/F 5 Reddish, Cam 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 1999-09-01 Duke
F 94 Traoré, Armel (TW) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 2003-01-23 France
F 2 Vanderbilt, Jarred Injured 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1999-04-03 Kentucky
G 7 Vincent, Gabe 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1996-07-14 UC Santa Barbara
F/C 35 Wood, Christian Injured 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1995-09-27 UNLV
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (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 Injured

Roster
Last transaction: December 29, 2024

Current depth chart

Pos. Starter Bench Reserve Inactive
C Pau Gasol DJ Mbenga Andrew Bynum (INJ),Chris Mihm (INJ)
PF Lamar Odom Ronny Turiaf
SF Luke Walton Vladimir Radmanović (INJ) Trevor Ariza (INJ)
SG Kobe Bryant Sasha Vujačić Coby Karl
PG Derek Fisher Jordan Farmar

Notable former players

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

Notable Head Coaches

  • John Kundla -- 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
  • Fred Schaus -- 1960-67; 1962-63 and 1965-66 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 315-245 in regular season, 33-38 in playoffs
  • Butch van Breda Kolff -- 1967-69; 1969 NBA Western Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 107-57 in regular season, 21-12 in playoffs.
  • Joe Mullaney -- 1969-71; 1971 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 94-70 in regular season, 16-14 in playoffs
  • Bill Sharman -- 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.
  • Paul Westhead -- 1979-81; 1980 NBA Champions. Win-Loss record: 111-50 in regular season, 13-6 in playoffs.
  • Pat Riley 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.
  • Mike Dunleavy -- 1990-92; Win-Loss record: 101-63 in regular season, 13-10 in playoffs.
  • Randy Pfund -- 1992-94; Win-Loss record: 66-80 in regular season, 2-3 in playoffs.
  • Magic Johnson -- 1994 Win-Loss record 5-11.
  • Del Harris -- 1994–99; 1998 NBA Pacific Division Champions. Win-Loss record: 224-116 in regular season, 17-19 in playoffs.
  • Rudy Tomjanovich -- 2004-05; Win-Loss record: 24-19.
  • Phil Jackson -- 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.
Los Angeles Lakers
Franchise
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Ownership
Jeanie, Jim, and Johnny Buss (majority)
Anschutz Entertainment Group, Ed Roski Jr., Patrick Soon-Shiong (minority)
President
Jeanie Buss
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Rob Pelinka
Head coach
JJ Redick
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Culture and lore

Trivia

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (June 2007)
Los Angeles Lakers Wordmark
  • As the Minneapolis Lakers, the team holds the record for the lowest-scoring NBA game ever played along with the Fort Wayne Pistons. On November 22, 1950, 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 shot clock.
  • Poker legend Doyle Brunson 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 Los Angeles Clippers).
  • The Lakers and Miami Heat have a tradition of playing each other on Christmas Day. There has been a meeting between the Lakers and Heat on this day every year since 2004, after center Shaquille O'Neal 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 Phoenix Suns (Shaq's new team) and the Cleveland Cavaliers 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 NBDL team, the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
  • Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006 was the second highest point total in league history next to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point performance against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
  • In the videogame NBA Ballers there is an unlockable video titled "How to Stop the Lakers" in reference to their championship runs in the early 2000s.
  • In 1969, Jerry West became the only player on the losing team ever to win the NBA Finals MVP Award.

Radio and television

As noted above, Chick Hearn was the team's broadcaster for 42 years until his death in 2002. After Hearn's death, the Lakers decided to continue simulcasts of games that had begun when he was the voice. Paul Sunderland, who had filled in for a few games while Hearn recuperated in 2001-02, was named the permanent play-by-play announcer effective with the season after Hearn's death. Stu Lantz was retained as color commentator.

In 2003, the Lakers decided to end the simulcasts. Sunderland's voice would be heard only on the telecasts, while Joel Meyers and Mychal Thompson, 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 2005, and the team chose not to renew it. Meyers moved in alongside Lantz as the TV announcer, while Spero Dedes was named to call play-by-play on radio. The current teams are Dedes and Thompson (radio) and Meyers and Lantz (TV).

As of 2006-07, Lakers radio broadcasts are heard on KLAC in English and KWKW in Spanish. KLAC has had the team's broadcast rights since the 1976-77 season. Telecasts are split between KCAL-TV (road games) and Fox Sports Net West (home games), unless they are chosen for national broadcasts on ABC or TNT. KCAL has been the Lakers' over-the-air television home since 1977--longer than any other other station currently airing NBA games.

While all games are broadcast live on local radio, select road telecasts from East Coast cities are shown on tape delay, usually 60 to 90 minutes after the actual starting time. The explanation given is to increase TV ratings 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

  1. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/
  2. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/
  3. Forbes: NBA Team Valuations
  4. ^ "TOP 10 CELEBRITY LAKERS FANS". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  5. "NBA.com Blog: Flea". NBA.com. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  6. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=271223018

External links

Preceded byChicago American Gears
1947
NBL Champions
Minneapolis Lakers

1948
Succeeded byAnderson Duffey Packers
1949
Preceded byBaltimore Bullets
1948
BAA/NBA Champions
Minneapolis Lakers

1949 and 1950
Succeeded byRochester Royals
1951
Preceded byRochester Royals
1951
NBA Champions
Minneapolis Lakers

1952, 1953, and 1954
Succeeded bySyracuse Nationals
1955
Preceded byMilwaukee Bucks
1971
NBA Champions
Los Angeles Lakers

1972
Succeeded byNew York Knicks
1973
Preceded bySeattle SuperSonics
1979
NBA Champions
Los Angeles Lakers

1980
Succeeded byBoston Celtics
1981
Preceded byBoston Celtics
1981
NBA Champions
Los Angeles Lakers

1982
Succeeded byPhiladelphia 76ers
1983
Preceded byBoston Celtics
1984
NBA Champions
Los Angeles Lakers

1985
Succeeded byBoston Celtics
1986
Preceded byBoston Celtics
1986
NBA Champions
Los Angeles Lakers

1987 and 1988
Succeeded byDetroit Pistons
1989 and 1990
Preceded bySan Antonio Spurs
1999
NBA Champions
Los Angeles Lakers

2000, 2001, 2002
Succeeded bySan Antonio Spurs
2003
Minneapolis Lakers 1948–49 BAA champions
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