-
When the team first started
The Lakers franchise predates the NBA. The Minneapolis Lakers first season was 1947-48, when the team entered the National Basketball League. A strange series of events early that year landed the Lakers the biggest prize in the game at that time center George Mikan. -
First game
The Lakers played there first game in 1947. That whole year and tens years more they had won all of there play-off games and won many trophies. -
Minneapolis Jumps to BAA
The Lakers had made it to the BAA finals. That is where the top teams go to play each other. When the Lakers made it they all went there to see one person play and that was Mikan he was a huge guy that was one of the best players they have ever had. -
Lakers Win First NBA Finals
The BAA and the NBL merged after that season, and the NBA was born for the 1949-50 campaign. In its first year the NBA consisted of 17 teams competing in three divisions. Minneapolis was assigned to the Central Division, where the team once again went head-to-head with Rochester. The Lakers had made it to the top two and won the title of the first NBA game. -
NBA Tries To Slow Down "Big George"
The NBA widened the foul lane before the 1951-52 season in an attempt to slow Mikan, but the rule change had a minimal effect on "Big George." He still averaged 23.8 points, but he lost the scoring title to Paul Arizin, a sharp-shooting forward with the Philadelphia Warriors. -
Basketball's First Dynasty
Basketball's First Dynasty The 1952-53 Lakers outmuscled the Royals during the regular season to finish atop the Western Division by a four-game margin. The Lakers soon became the best team there was, no one could beat them they always had the more muscle on there side. -
Lovellette Comes To The Rescue Of Ailing Mikan
Mikan was there best player but as he got older his knees started to give out on him he would only score abot 18 points a game so the had a new rookie that was promising to them. named Lovellette. -
New Rules Are Bad News For Lakers
The NBA instituted two revolutionary rule changes shortly after the end of the 1953-54 season. The 24-second shot clock was introduced, as was a limit of six team fouls per quarter. The new rules accomplished two things: they helped quicken the pace of the action on the court, and they took away the tactical advantage of fouling a player who has possession of the ball late in a game. -
Baylor Ushers In A New Era
The dreadful record had a silver lining, however, for it earned Minneapolis the number 1 pick in the 1958 NBA Draft. The Lakers came away with Seattle University star Elgin Baylor. With the unbeatable combination of a great scoring touch, smooth ballhandling and passing skills, a willingness to pound the boards, and the seeming ability to defy gravity on the way to the hoop, the 6-5 forward helped usher in a new era for the struggling Lakers franchise. -
A Double Dose Of West
During the offseason the Lakers became the NBA's first West Coast team. Although Minneapolis fans had come out in droves to watch the Lakers when Mikan was with the club, attendance had fallen off dramatically in the ensuing five seasons. -
The Start Of A Trend: Celtics Clip Lakers For NBA Title
The Lakers added Dick Barnett to their roster during the offseason. Barnett, who had spent the previous two seasons with Syracuse, moved into the starting lineup at guard, and Selvy became the team's sixth man. Barnett averaged 18.0 points during 1962-63, and his contribution became critical when Jerry West missed 27 games with a leg injury. But he still finished the season with a 28 average score per game. -
Cooke Purchases Lakers For $5 Million
The Lakers franchise changed hands during the offseason when Bob Short sold the club to Jack Kent Cooke. Cooke paid $5 million for the team, which not only represented a huge profit but also established that the value of an NBA franchise was on par with the value of a Major League Baseball team. -
33 In A Row!
Owner Jack Kent Cooke replaced Head Coach Joe Mullaney in 1971-72, bringing in former USC star and Celtics standout Bill Sharman. The team had to make do without Baylor, who retired early in the season after realizing that his legs were not going to hold up through another year. -
Los Angeles Trades For Jabbar
Los Angeles Trades For Jabbar During the offseason the Lakers made an acquisition that laid the foundation for yet another championship-caliber squad. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the league's premier big man, made it known that he would not return to Milwaukee after the 1974-75 season, demanding instead to be traded to either New York or Los Angeles. -
The Beginning Of The Buss Era
The Beginning Of The Buss Era During the offseason owner Jack Kent Cooke sold his sports empire, which included the Lakers and the Great Western Forum, to Santa Monica real estate developer Jerry Buss for $67.5 million. Buss brought in Jack McKinney as the new head coach. -
Magic Shocks The World
Magic Shocks The World The following season was a roller-coaster ride for the team. Los Angeles went 1-2 in three straight overtime games to start the season. Then on November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson shocked the world when he announced his retirement, having tested positive for the HIV virus. The Lakers responded on the court with a nine-game winning streak. In early December center Vlade Divac underwent surgery for a back problem and was lost for two months. -
Back to Back-to-Back
With a nucleus that included two of the NBA's best players in Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant and a head coach that has won seven NBA titles in Phil Jackson, the Lakers began the season with aspirations of winning a second consecutive NBA Championship. -
Another Playoff Loss to Phoenix
only five times in the 62-year history of the Lakers had the team not made the playoffs, with the 2004-05 season - with Phil Jackson taking what he now calls a sabbatical standing out as the only blemish since 1993-94. So this lose to them was a lot they wanted to win the game and keep there streak but that did not happen. -
Lakers Season Review
The 2011-12 Lakers campaign almost never got off the ground, with the NBA lockout that began on July 1 extending into late November until an agreement was finally forged.
