Los Angeles Lakers

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 fellow NBA team the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, of those in the sport of basketball.

The Lakers' franchise was founded in Detroit before moving to Minneapolis, where the team got its official title from the state's nickname (Land of 10,000 Lakes), and won 5 league championships within the various leagues before locating to Los Angeles. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Lakers popularity soared, which helped them become one of the most successful franchises in the NBA with superstar players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and coach Pat Riley winning five titles in that span, with 3 championship series against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. The Lakers are notable for having (at the end of the 2005–06 season) the most wins (2,905), the highest winning percentage (61.5%), the most finals appearances (29) of any NBA franchise, and the second most championships (14, behind the Boston Celtics' 16). The Lakers 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 (as well as the NBA's record) beginning on November 5th, 1971 and ending on January 7, 1972. 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 the BAA merged to become the NBA in 1949.

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 (4 with Riley as coach after replacing Paul Westhead, under whom they won in 1980), including consecutive championships in 1987 and 1988, the first team to do so since Boston in 1969.

Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform.

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 off-season, 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. The team finished 42-40 in the 2006-07 NBA season, Jackson's worst record of his coaching career. Later in the off-season, rumors abounded that Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ star player requested to be traded, but the Lakers did not trade Bryant. The rumors of Bryant being traded died down when the Lakers traded Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron Mckie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and two first round draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Pau Gasol and second round draft choice. After the trade, the Lakers went on to clinch the no. 1 seed in the West and rampaged through the playoffs quickly. They first destroyed the Denver Nuggets in four games and went on to beat the Utah Jazz and the defending champion, San Antonio Spurs, in six games and five games, respectively. They were able to enter the NBA Finals where they will face a familiar foe whom they haven't met in the finals since 21 years ago, the Boston Celtics, but they now trail two games to none in that series.

Celebrity fans

[IMG]http://bp3.blogger.com/_T_giAMUAnWQ/RsEN0LRwlBI/AAAAAAAAALA/ShwH-[/IMG] Given the team's proximity to Hollywood, the Lakers fan base has 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, Dustin Hoffman, Richard Dreyfuss, Pete Sampras, Andy Garcia, Penny Marshall, Ice Cube, Sylvester Stallone, Dyan Cannon, Tobey Maguire, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek, Mary Carey, The Game, Polow Da Don, Snoop Dogg, Adam Sandler, Jackie Chan, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Ray Lewis, and Tyra Banks (who is good friend 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, Mr. Bungle can often be seen in photos wearing a Laker jersey and Lil Wayne is also a self-proclaimed laker fan in his song "Best of Me Freestyle".

Logo and uniforms

Further information: Logos and uniforms of the Los Angeles Lakers

• Minneapolis Lakers logo (1947-1960)
  Minneapolis Lakers logo (1947-1960)
• Los Angeles Lakers logo (1968-present)
  Los Angeles Lakers logo (1968-present)
• 
  Los Angeles Lakers Wordmark

The Lakers are notable in that they are the only team in the NBA to wear home uniforms that are not primarily white. 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 1980s in the first half and returned to the longer ones for the second half.

In a home game vs the Golden State Warriors on March 24, 2008, the Lakers wore their white jerseys with the Spanish word "los" on the top of the word Lakers which spelled "Los Lakers", like the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs had done in weeks prior. These uniforms, along with the Miami Heat's "El Heat" jerseys, were intended to pay tribute to the Hispanic roots of the representative cities.

The Laker colors in Minneapolis were white at home and light blue with yellow trim on the road. After moving to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 NBA season, the team colors were blue, light blue, and white. The team switched to purple and gold in the late 1960s.

Season-by-season records

Further information: Los Angeles Lakers seasons

Franchise and NBA records

Further information: Los Angeles Lakers accomplishments and records

Home arenas

• Minneapolis Auditorium (1947-1959)
• Minneapolis Armory (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 St. Paul Auditorium.)
• Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (1960-1967)
• The Forum (formerly Great Western Forum from 1988-1999) (1967-1999)
• Staples Center (1999-present)

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 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) 255 lb (116 kg) 1993-03-11 Kentucky 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) 217 lb (98 kg) 2000-05-23 Texas G 0 Hood-Schifino, Jalen 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2003-06-19 Indiana G 9 James, Bronny 6 ft 2 in (1.88 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 5 in (1.96 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 2001-04-19 Tennessee C 10 Koloko, Christian (TW) 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 2000-06-20 Arizona F 20 Lewis, Maxwell 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-07-27 Pepperdine 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) 206 lb (93 kg) 1998-05-29 Oklahoma G/F 5 Reddish, Cam 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1999-09-01 Duke G 1 Russell, D'Angelo 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1996-02-23 Ohio State F 94 Traoré, Armel (TW) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2003-01-23 France F 2 Vanderbilt, Jarred 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) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-07-14 UC Santa Barbara F/C 35 Wood, Christian 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 223 lb (101 kg) 1995-09-27 UNLV

Head coach JJ Redick Assistant coach(es) Bob Beyer Scott Brooks Lindsey Harding Beau Levesque Nate McMillan Greg St. Jean 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 Roster Last transaction: November 18, 2024

Hall of Famers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33) Elgin Baylor (22) Wilt Chamberlain (13) Gail Goodrich (25) Connie Hawkins Magic Johnson (32) Clyde Lovellette

Slater Martin Bob McAdoo George Mikan Vern Mikkelsen Jim Pollard James Worthy (42) Jerry West (44)

() - denotes retired Lakers numbers

Head coaches

Term	Coach	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Championships
1948-57	John Kundla	380-240	54-28	5
1957-58	George Mikan	9-30	-	-
	John Kundla	10-23	-	-
1958-59	John Kundla	33-39	6-7	-
1959-60	John Castellani	11-25	-	-
	Jim Pollard	14-25	5-4	-
1960-67	Fred Schaus	315-245	33-38	-
1967-69	Bill Van Breda Kolff	107-57	21-12	-
1969-71	Joe Mullaney	94-70	16-14	-
1971-76	Bill Sharman	246-164	22-15	1
1976-79	Jerry West	145-101	8-14	-
1979-80	Jack McKinney	9-4	-	-
	Paul Westhead	51-18	12-4	1
1980-82	Paul Westhead	61-32	1-2	-
1981-82	Pat Riley	50-21	12-2	1
1982-90	Pat Riley	483-173	90-47	4
1990-92	Mike Dunleavy	101- 63	13-10	-
1992-94	Randy Pfund	66-80	2-3	-
1993-94	Bill Bertka	1-1	-	-
	Magic Johnson	5-11	-	-
1994-99	Del Harris	224-116	17-19	-
1998-99	Bill Bertka	1- 0	-	-
	Kurt Rambis	24-13	3-5	-
1999-04	Phil Jackson	287-123	64-28	3
2004-05	Rudy Tomjanovich	24-19	-	-
	Frank Hamblen	10-29	-	-
2005-present	Phil Jackson	144-102	16-11	-

Radio and television

Main article: List of Los Angeles Lakers broadcasters

As noted above, Chick Hearn was the team's broadcaster for 41 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 couple of 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 the color commentator.

In 2003, the Lakers decided to end the simulcasts. Sunderland's voice would be heard only on the telecasts, while Mychal Thompson, the latter a member of the 1987-88 Lakers championship team, was named as the announcer 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 broadcaster since 1977, dating back to when the station was the RKO General-owned KHJ-TV. This is longer than any other station currently airing NBA games. Prior to KHJ, Laker games were televised on KTLA.

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

External links

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