Los Angeles Lakers Team History

In 1957, the team was nearly sold to Kansas City interests who planned to relocate it there, before a local group helmed by businessman Bob Short purchased the team and kept it in Minneapolis. The new ownership was unable to cure the team’s financial ills, however.

After considering moves to Chicago and San Francisco, Bob Short decided to move the franchise to Los Angeles prior to the 1961 season, making the Lakers the NBA’s first West Coast team. The Lakers did not change their name after this second move, despite the general scarcity of natural lakes in southern California.

The Lakers moved to Cooke’s brand-new arena, The “Fabulous” Forum, in 1967

The circular, US$16 million structure was designed by renowned Los Angeles architect Charles Luckman and was intended to evoke the Roman Forum. The arena seats 17,505, for basketball, 16,005, for ice hockey and up to 18,000 for concerts; it has no luxury suites, but held an unprecedented 2,400 club seats for events. In excess of 70 percent of the seats were located between the goals and no seat is more than 170 feet from the playing surface.

By winning 33 straight games, Los Angeles set a record for longest winning streak of any team in American professional sports. The Lakers won 69 games that season, which stood as the NBA record for 24 years until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1995 – 1996.

NBA Finals – 1972
The 1972 NBA World Championship Series was played at the conclusion of the 1971 – 1972 NBA season. The Western Conference Champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference Champion New York Knicks in five games. The Los Angeles Lakers got their first NBA championship since the Lakers moved to Los Angeles from Minneapolis.

In the 1979 NBA draft, Los Angeles selected 6-foot, 9-inch point guard Magic Johnson from Michigan State with the first overall pick. It took Johnson’s teammates time to acclimate themselves to his passing ability, as his “no-look” passes often caught them unaware. Once they adjusted, his passing became a key part of Los Angeles’ offense. 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. The team fell off in the 1980 – 1981 season, though, as the Lakers lost Johnson for most of the season to a knee injury. The team turned in a 54–28 record and finished second behind the Phoenix Suns in the Pacific Division. The Rockets, led by Moses Malone, defeated Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs.

NBA Finals – 1980
The 1980 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1979 – 1980 NBA season. In Game 6, Magic Johnson played what may have been the greatest game of his career. Playing on the road in Philadelphia, Magic (a 6’9″ point guard) started the game at center and eventually played all 5 positions in a dominating performance. Scoring a game-high 42 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds—and handing out 7 assists—Magic Johnson led the Lakers to the NBA crown.

NBA Finals – 1982
The 1982 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1981 – 1982 NBA season, the top level of competition in men’s professional basketball in North America. The series saw the Los Angeles Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers. It was a rematch of the 1980 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won 4-2.

NBA Finals – 1985
The 1985 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1984 – 1985 NBA season. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Celtics four games to two to defeat the Celtics for the first time in Laker history in the NBA Finals.

NBA Finals – 1987
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986 – 1987 NBA season. The match took place between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 4–2, beating the Celtics in the Finals. The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson’s junior sky hook in Game 4. This was the tenth time that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals and would also mark the Celtics’ last appearance overall until the two teams met again in 2008.

NBA Finals – 1988
The 1988 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 1987 – 1988 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. James Worthy was named NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers became the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as champions, a feat that coach Pat Riley guaranteed the previous offseason.

NBA Finals – 2000
The 2000 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 1999 – 2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers 4 games to 2. Shaquille O’Neal was named NBA Finals MVP.

NBA Finals – 2001
The 2001 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 2000 – 2001 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1. Shaquille O’Neal was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.

NBA Finals – 2002
The 2002 NBA Finals was the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship series for the 2001 – 2002 season. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Los Angeles Lakers, champions of the Western Conference and two-time defending NBA champions, and the New Jersey Nets, champions of the Eastern Conference. The Lakers swept the Nets, four games to none, to win the franchise’s 14th NBA championship. The 56th edition of the championship series was played between June 5 and June 12 and was broadcast on NBC.

NBA Finals – 2009
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 2008 – 2009 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP.

NBA Finals – 2010
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association’s 2009 – 2010 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.

The 2020 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2019–20 season and conclusion of the season’s playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, 4–2, winning their first NBA championship in ten years. It was the franchise’s 17th title, tying the Boston Celtics for the most in the league’s history. The Lakers’ LeBron James was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the fourth time in his career. He became the first player in league history to be named Finals MVP with three different franchises.

The Lakers were the No. 1 seed in the West, while the Heat was No. 5 in the East, becoming the third-lowest seed to advance to the Finals. This was the first NBA Finals matchup between the two teams and the first time that Finals participants had both missed the playoffs in the previous season. James had previously played with Miami under Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, winning back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 in four consecutive Finals appearances from 2011 to 2014, while Heat president Pat Riley was head coach of the “Showtime”-era Lakers from 1981 to 1990 leading them to four NBA titles in seven Finals appearances. For the first time in six seasons, the Golden State Warriors were not in the Finals.

The Finals were originally scheduled to begin on June 4 and end on June 24, but the season was suspended on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA and its players later approved a plan to restart the season in late July, setting up the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World to protect teams from the virus. The games were played behind closed doors in the Bubble at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida, with the Finals being played from September 30 through October 11. This year’s Finals were the latest to begin (beating the 2014 edition which began on June 5) and the first one played in September and October.