When thinking or talking about the Los Angeles Lakers, one word comes to mind: “excellence.” Since joining the NBA in 1960, the Lakers have been the epitome of success. Their accomplishments as a team include:
– 44 playoff appearances
– 24 division crowns
– 27 appearances in Conference Finals
– 23 NBA Finals appearances
– 9 NBA championships
How did it all begin? The Lakers’ name originates from the years they played in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Lakers” refers to the huge cargo ships that traveled along the Great Lakes.
After 13 years in Minneapolis, the Lakers became the first West Coast NBA team when they moved to Los Angeles. Ironically, there are no lakes in Los Angeles! Still, they kept the name. During their first season in the “City of Angels”, the Lakers finished with a 36-43 record. They defeated the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, but lost in the Western Conference Finals to the St. Louis Hawks. It was a heartbreaking loss, as the Hawks beat them in Game 7, by just two points.
Throughout their long history, the Lakers have had several notable All-Stars on their team. The best of the best include several players whose jersey numbers have been retired:
1. Elgin Baylor – #22 (forward): 1960-1971
During his professional basketball career, Baylor averaged 27.4 points per game. In addition to shooting, Baylor was also adept at rebounding and passing. Unfortunately, the Lakers won a National Championship during the season that Baylor retired (1971-1972).
2. Wilt Chamberlain – #13 (Center): 1968-1973
Arguably Chamberlain’s greatest accomplishment was scoring 100 points against the New York Knicks, during 1962. That’s an NBA single-game record. He was also made famous by his battles against Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics.
3. Gail Goodrich – #25 (Guard): 1965-1968, 1970-1976
Goodrich played for the Lakers from 1971-1972, who set an NBA record 33-game winning streak. In fact, Goodrich was the leading scorer for that Lakers team.
4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – #33 (Center): 1975-1989
Jabbar became famous for his “skyhook” shot. He also became the leading scorer of his NBA career, with 38,387 points. Jabbar won three NBA titles with the Lakers.
5. Earvin “Magic” Johnson – #32 (Guard): 1979-1991, 1995-1996
Magic Johnson’s fantastic passing skills epitomized the Los Angeles dazzle. His rivalry with Larry Bird became legendary. Magic appeared in 12 All-Star games and won five championships with the Lakers.
6. Jerry West – #44 (Forward): 1960-1974
West played particularly well in the playoffs. In the 1965 NBA Finals, he averaged 46.3 points in each game. When he retired, West was the third leading scorer of his NBA career (25,192 points).
7. James Worthy – #42 (Forward): 1982-1994
Ironically, Worthy did not like basketball as a child. However, he grew to love it and became a standout player as well. Worthy won three NBA championships with the Lakers and became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Although Los Angeles doesn’t have lakes, they do have the Lakers. Wear Los Angeles Lakers merchandise to cheer them on for their next NBA championship!
