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 their fellow NBA team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their sister team, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.

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 five 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 three championship series against their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics. The Lakers are notable for having (at the end of the 2007–08 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' 17). 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 5, 1971 and ending on January 7, 1972. The franchise has only missed the NBA playoffs five times.

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, and 1954).

During the 1960 offseason, the Lakers became the NBA's first West Coast team. 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 was not 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. The Lakers did not win another title during the 1970s due to the retirements of Laker legends, West and Chamberlain.

During the 1974–75 offseason, the Lakers made a bold move by acquiring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the league's premier big man at that time. Abdul-Jabbar wanted out with Milwaukee, demanding a trade to either New York or Los Angeles. He was eventually traded to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers.

During the 1979 NBA Draft, the Lakers found themselves holding the first overall pick. The Lakers selected 6'9" Earvin Johnson from Michigan State. The Lakers ended up winning 60 games in Johnson's rookie year. The Lakers would go on to defeat the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 of the 1980 championship series; thanks to an MVP performance by the rookie Johnson, who started for the injured Abdul-Jabbar. He finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists to lead the Lakers to their second championship in L.A.

By the 1984–85 season, the Lakers' "Showtime" era was in full swing. The team won the Pacific Division for the fourth straight year. The championship series got off to a horrid start for the Lakers, losing Game 1 of the NBA Finals by a lopsided score of 148–114, in what is now remembered as the "Memorial Day Massacre". But the Lakers were resilient and behind 37–year old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar, they were finally able to topple Boston in six games. The team gained an extra measure of satisfaction from winning the title in the Boston Garden, the site of so many past agonies for the Laker franchise, thus making the 1985 Lakers the only visiting team to ever win an NBA championship on the famed parquet floor.

The 1985–86 season started well, going 24–3 in their first 27 games. They finished with 62 wins and clinched their fifth straight division title. However, the Houston Rockets had their own plans for the playoffs. Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson proved to be too much for Abdul-Jabbar to handle, and the Lakers fell in five games in the Western Conference Finals. The Rockets won the series when Sampson hit a 20–foot jumper as time expired in Game five at The Forum...

During the 1987–88 NBA season, Lakers still found a way to win, taking their seventh consecutive Pacific Division title, and subsequently meeting the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals. The Lakers took the series in seven games; James Worthy's had a triple double, which earned him a Finals MVP award. The 1988–89 season was solid, ended up winning 57 games. The team made it to the NBA Finals, facing the Detroit Pistons again. The Pistons took advantage of the injuries of Byron Scott and Magic Johnson, and took the series in four games.

On June 28, 1989, after twenty professional seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. During the 1990 offseason, 1987 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Michael Cooper announced his retirement. The team made another finals appearance in 1991, but lost to Michael Jordan's Bulls in five games. On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV. Johnson made a public announcement that he would retire immediately. Their first season without Magic was not good, only winning 43 games, and was eliminated in four games of the first round. During the 1993–94 NBA season the team ended up only winning 33 games, and missing the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history.  For the next two seasons the team made the playoffs, but was eliminated in the second and first round respectively. However, during the 1996 off-season, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal and acquired rookie Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets for Vlade Divac. They used their 24th pick in the draft to select Derek Fisher. They also acquired Robert Horry from the Phoenix Suns for Cedric Ceballos mid-way through the season. During the 1997 off-season, they also acquired Rick Fox from the Boston Celtics. Even with these acquisitions, the Lakers were still prevented from entering the finals by teams such as the Utah Jazz in 1997, 1998 and San Antonio Spurs in 1999. Little did the team know that they were a couple of pieces away from finally completing the puzzle and finally winning the championship.

Prior to the 1999–00 NBA season, the Lakers hired former Bulls coach Phil Jackson as head coach. The team that included veterans such as John Salley, Ron Harper, and A. C. Green, who was with the Lakers during the "Showtime" era, went on to defeat the Indiana Pacers in six games to clinch their first NBA title since 1988.  Despite 11 less regular season game wins the next season, the Lakers achieved the greatest NBA postseason record: 15–1, their only loss by six points, in overtime, in Game one of the 2001 NBA Finals, against the Philadelphia 76ers. After this repeat, they faced the highly skilled Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Finals, which was toughly fought through and went to seven games, the last of which ended in a six-point win in overtime. The Lakers would then achieve a three-peat by sweeping the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals.

After the Lakers finished with a 50–32 record in 2002–03. They went on to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2003 NBA Playoffs. Unfortunately, the team was eliminated in six games in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs. The Lakers made another astonishing move before starting the 2003–04 NBA season when they signed potential future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Although the team ended up with a 56–26 record, they were able to clinch the Pacific Division and earn the number two seed in the Western Conference. They defeated the Houston Rockets, Spurs, and Timberwolves in the first three rounds of the 2004 NBA Playoffs, before the team was defeated in five games by the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals.

During the 2004 offseason, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, and Jackson was not brought back to coach the team for the 2004–05 season. The Lakers had a lackluster season in their first rebuilding year as the team ended up with a 34–48 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in their franchise history. Jackson returned the following season, and the Bryant-led team returned to the postseason, losing to the Phoenix Suns in the first round in 2005–06. After going up three games to one, the Suns came back to take the series in seven games. The team finished 42–40 in the 2006–07 NBA season, Jackson's worst record of his coaching career, and again were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in game five of the first round.

The 2007–08 NBA season started roughly for the team. But their patience paid off as the team saw the emergence of their young center Andrew Bynum, whom the Lakers saw potential in. Bynum gave Los Angeles the inside presence they needed to complement Kobe Bryant's perimeter threat. After a season ending injury to Bynum in January 2008, the Lakers acted quickly by trading 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 a second round draft choice. After the trade, the Lakers went on to clinch the number one seed in the Western Conference with a 57–25 record. They first defeated the Denver Nuggets in four games, the Utah Jazz in six games, and defeated the recent champions San Antonio Spurs in five games. They entered the NBA Finals facing their historic and biggest rival, the Boston Celtics, whom they had not met in the Finals since 1987. The Lakers eventually lost the series in six games.

Given the team's proximity to Hollywood, the large Lakers fan base includes many celebrities, most of whom can regularly be seen at the Staples Center during home games. Jack Nicholson is by far the most prominent member of this group, having held season tickets since the 1970s.

From 2002 and 2007 the team averaged just over 18,900 fans, which was still in the top ten in the NBA. The team sold out every home game during the 2007–08 season.

Their television ratings, are considerably higher than other NBA Teams, for example the 2008 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Celtics drew a 9.3 rating, which were higher than the 2007 NBA Finals.

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.

Getting Inside

Sasha Vujacic is no longer an afterthought, as he was entering last season. That’s why he was the Lakers’ summer priority—and given a three-year, $15 million contract to return.

“I’m glad it’s over,” said Vujacic, who was a restricted free agent giving some consideration to playing in Europe. “It’s been a tough month.”

Vujacic was often the shooting guard on the floor for the Lakers to finish games late in the season, with Kobe Bryant moving to small forward. Vujacic was given the defensive assignment to shadow both Manu Ginobili and Ray Allen in the postseason, showing how far Vujacic’s defense has improved to go with his outstanding shooting.

“He had a wonderful year this year, and I hope that he continues to develop and work, which he will,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said.

Vujacic, 24, had to come a long way last season. Even after a good summer and training camp, he was left behind for playing time in favor of backup guards Maurice Evans and Jordan Farmar—and sometimes even Coby Karl and Javaris Crittenton.

But Vujacic did well when he got his chances and then got his way cleared when Evans was traded with power forward Brian Cook to Orlando for small forward Trevor Ariza on Nov. 20. Vujacic came on strong and garnered some notice for his long hair and catchy nickname, “The Machine.”

He averaged 8.8 points for the regular season and hit 43.7 percent of his three-point attempts. He also became fast friends with Pau Gasol when the Lakers traded for him.

Notes, Quotes

• The Lakers signed forward Josh Powell to a contract on Aug. 14. The 6-9 forward averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 64 games with the Clippers last season and will get a chance to fill Ronny Turiaf’s role. Turiaf, an energetic bench player, joined the Golden State Warriors over the summer.

• The Lakers have a bottom-heavy 2008-09 schedule that features one six-game trip East starting in late January and one seven-game trip East in late March.

• The Lakers open at home against Portland on Oct. 28 and also have a marquee matchup at Staples Center on Christmas in a rematch of the last NBA Finals won by Boston.

Quote To Note:   “I don’t think Kobe (Bryant) is the best player. I’m the best player. There’s a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don’t cross that line, but I have a lot of confidence in myself.”—Boston’s Paul Pierce, during a question and answer session in Spain.

Roster Report

Draft Pick: 

Joe Crawford, G, 6-5, Kentucky—A long shot to make the Lakers’ roster next season and will need to do well in summer-league ball to ensure he even gets a non-guaranteed contract offer.

Biggest Needs:   Bryant, who so loudly insisted that a roster overhaul was necessary with or without him last offseason, was asked what the Lakers need to do this summer. “Just relax,” Bryant said. Like Lakers management, Bryant believes the experience of a long playoff run and the anticipated return of Bynum from his injury gives the Lakers an excellent chance at returning to the NBA Finals next season.

Free Agent Focus:   Restricted free agents Sasha Vujacic and Ronny Turiaf are likely to come back, especially Vujacic, who often played down the stretch of most playoff games with Bryant moving to small forward. Both have been given qualifying offers. Ira Newble and DJ Mbenga are not expected to return, and the Lakers probably won’t be active in free agency.

Player Notes: 

• C Andrew Bynum is expected to be 100 percent healthy after knee problems last season, according to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak.

• G Kobe Bryant said he will support other Americans during the Olympics in China, noting: “I want to see (American swimmer Michael) Phelps for sure. I want to see him do his thing.”

• G Jordan Farmar, the NBA’s lone Jewish player, went to Israel to do some summer camps.

It’s official: the Lakers signed Sun Yue on Monday, adding to their depth in the backcourt and increasing their collection of international players.  The 23-year-old Sun, a 6-foot-9 guard taken with the 40th overall selection by the Lakers in last year’s draft, averaged 6.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.33 steals in six games for China in the Olympic Games in Beijing. He agreed to a two-season contract earlier this month but delayed signing on the dotted line until after the Beijing Olympics. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"He's really looking forward to it (joining the Lakers)," said Charles Bonsignore, Sun's agent. "The Olympics gave him kind of a boost. He's optimistic and, obviously, a little bit excited."

Sun averaged 6.8 points, 2.5 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in six games for China in the Beijing Olympics. China did not medal and did not give Team USA much of a game in the opening game Aug. 10.

The 23-year-old Sun played three seasons for the Beijing Aoshen Olympians of the ABA, including 2005-06 when the team played its home games at Azusa Pacific. So, he is familiar with the Los Angeles area.

"His adjustment will be pretty easy," Bonsignore said. "It's not like he's coming here out of the blue like some of the other guys who come over."

Sun will compete for playing time with Jordan Farmar in the Lakers backcourt. He also gives the team an added foreign presence, joining Pau Gasol of Spain, Vladimir Radmanovic of Serbia and Sasha Vujacic of Slovenia.

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Joe Crawford, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

 
Selected by the Lakers with the 58th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Crawford, a 22 year-old native of Detroit, Michigan, played four seasons at the University of Kentucky, averaging 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 127 games (76 starts).
 
As a senior, Crawford ranked fourth in the SEC in scoring with a team-high 17.9 points per game, scoring 20-plus points 13 times while topping 30 points on three occasions.

Earning Second Team All-SEC honors from league coaches as a senior, Crawford finished his collegiate career as Kentucky’s 19th all-time leading scorer with 1,438 points while ranking seventh all-time in three-point field goals made (186).
 
Additionally, the 6’5” Crawford started all six games for the Lakers Summer League entry in Las Vegas this past July, averaging 11.3 points including .455 (5-of-11) shooting from behind the arc, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 32.7 minutes.

 
In other news, the Lakers expect to learn in a few days when Kobe Bryant will undergo surgery on his damaged right pinky. Bryant was injured in a Feb. 5 game against the New Jersey Nets, but put off surgery until after the Olympics.

Training camp begins Sept. 30 in El Segundo.

 According to Mr. Andrew Bynum from his web blog on 03-Sep-08, Andrew Checks In from Atlanta.

 "Hello everyone,

It’s been a while since I have had a chance to speak to all the Laker fans all over the world. Before my injury, my teammates and I had a great rhythm building for the game of basketball. Immediately following the injury I watched my team struggle a bit, and that was really difficult not being able to help them out. We then traded two of my best friends on the team, J Crid and Kwame Brown. I had mixed emotions about the trade at the time, but what we got back in the trade was an All Star with a lot of skills in Pau Gasol. He can shoot, rebound, pass, and basically do it all. He helped to right the ship and propel us into the playoffs. It turns out he is a really good guy, and I am looking forward to practicing and playing with him. We held on to our #1 spot in the West and went on to meet Boston in the Finals. That was really the most difficult situation I’ve ever had to deal with, not being there for my team and fans on the biggest stage in all of the NBA. The thing that kept me sane throughout the entire time I was out was my family and friends, fan support, and the fact that this Laker team is building for the long hall. WE WILL BE IN THE FINALS AGAIN.

For the past six weeks I’ve been here in Atlanta preparing for the upcoming season. The first couple of weeks were really to get my wind back and strengthen my leg. Wow was I out of shape, but fortunately it came back pretty fast. I have my mile run back down in the low sixes, I’m playing way above the rime, dunking the ball like crazy, and my leg is 100% pain free with no swelling. My trainer, Dr. Sean Zarzana, has me doing all types of workouts from track, strength, balance, basketball, stretching and yoga. All of the routines are extremely challenging, but I can feel my body returning to the form from.  We will be returning to LA in the next few days to continue these workouts, and I am really looking forward to practicing with the coaching staff and all of my teammates as well.  This week Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss stopped in for a visit. They watched me go through an upper body/track workout. After we had lunch at a local restaurant.

Congratulations to the entire United States Olympic Basketball Team especially Kobe, way to bring that gold medal back to the States. Pau Gasol also deserves to be congratulated on his silver medal performance.  I hope I get a chance to continue the U.S dominance in London, 2012. The Olympics are truly special event, and one person that I feel needs to be commended is Michael Phelps, that was unbelievable!

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent guard Brandon Heath, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Heath, a 6-3 guard out of San Diego State spent last season playing in France for Entente Orleans 45 where he averaged 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25 games.

Most recently, Heath played for the Los Angeles Clippers 2008 Summer-Pro League team in Las Vegas, averaging 5.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in five games played.

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed free agent forward CJ Giles, it was announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Giles, a 6-11 forward who finished his collegiate career at Oregon State after playing two seasons at Kansas, averaged 6.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in ten games last season for the Beavers.

February 7, 2009. The Los Angeles Lakers have acquired forward Adam Morrison and guard Shannon Brown from the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Vladimir Radmanovic.

February 18, 2009 L.A. Lakers traded C Chris Mihm to Memphis for a future draft pick.

In the 2008-09 NBA season, the Lakers returned to championship form in a big way. Los Angeles finished with a 65-17 record, easily winning the Pacific Division and clinching first place in the Western Conference. After eliminating the Utah Jazz 4-1, they needed 7 games to fight off a tenacious Houston Rockets squad. Fortunately, facing tough opponents made the Lakers stronger as a team, particularly when they knocked off the Denver Nuggets 4-2 to win the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers' quest for another title was successfully completed, as they defeated the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals in five games, and won their 15th title in the process. It was their first NBA title in seven years. Kobe Bryant was the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career, and had won his first NBA title without Shaquille O'Neal.