There may be no such thing as a lukewarm basketball fan, but if there is, it's surely not a Los Angeles Lakers fan. If you are a fan, and you've followed the Lakers for a while, you have witnessed some of the most amazing, edge-of-your-seat or on-your-feet performances in basketball history.
Way back in 1946, when it was still the NBL, the team was known as the Detroit Gems, but with one 4-40 season they didn't live up to the name worth a hoot. The "team", which was nothing more than equipment at the time, was sold for $15,000 and moved to Minneapolis, where the name was changed to Lakers. (Why not? Look at all those lakes!) Because they had the worst record, they got first pick in the dispersal draft, and ended up with a championship their very first season as the Lakers.
The 1950's brought major triumphs and major disappointments. Players left or were traded for new ones, coaches came and went, and in general a lot of changes occurred, but out of six appearances in the Finals, the Lakers came away with the championship five times. They were definitely a team to be noticed!
It is kind of interesting that when the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960, the name remained the same, and they became the Los Angeles Lakers (despite the lack of lakes) and by golly, they have been ever since. They really started getting a lot of notice when Wilt Chamberlain became part of the team, and they went to the NBA Finals in 1962. Most fans will know the score on that one: the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics - not for the first time!
The Lakers got to the Finals eight times during the 1960's, and each time they fought a battle royal, but they lost, eight times. Did that faze them? Not so anyone would notice. They won 33 consecutive games in 1971, a record which still stands in every major professional sport. During the rest of the ?70's, aside from the excitement the team never failed to bring to the games, a couple of events stand out. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and later Earvin "Magic" Johnson were added to the mix of players, and TV commentator Pat Riley was hired as assistant coach. Riley moved up, of course, to the head coach position, and what a marvelous job he did!
The Los Angeles Lakers appeared again in the Finals of 1991, but Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls got the best of them. In '92 the Lakers lost in the Finals to the Portland Trail Blazers, and again in '93, this time to the Phoenix Suns. For a short time, Magic Johnson stepped in as coach, but soon turned it over to Del Harris. Then in the off-season of 1996, the Lakers made a couple of very good moves: they signed Shaquille O'Neal, a free agent, and traded for Kobe Bryant (then a rookie with the Charlotte Hornets).
In 2000, the Los Angeles Lakers moved their home base from the Forum in Inglewood to the Staples Center in L.A., which seems to suit them. They also hired coach Phil Jackson who, as well as former coach Pat Riley, has set all-time records in the industry As the 2000's rolled on, the Lakers incorporated some moves they call the "triangle offense", and the excitement just kept happening. Shaquille O'Neal was awarded the Finals MVP for his third consecutive year, and coach Phil Jackson got his ninth Championship Head Coach award.
The year 2000 was another turning point for the Lakers, when they moved from Inglewood to the new Staples Center, and really became the Los Angeles Lakers. Then Phil Jackson came on the team as head coach, and the Lakers kept gaining momentum, and fans! Coach Jackson deservedly received the Championship Head Coach title for the ninth time, and Shaquille O'Neal kept winning the coveted MVP award (three times in a row!)
As of this date, the Los Angeles Lakers are, according to Forbes magazine, the second most valuable basketball franchise in the world. The team can boast 16 Hall of Famers in its history, including 15 players and one broadcaster, Chuck Hearn. The Lakers hold the record for the most wins of any NBA team, and the highest percentage of games won.
Since 1948 they have only missed the NBA playoffs five times. They have had so many dramatic near misses and even more dramatic last-minute wins that they keep fans on the edge of their seats (if the fans can even get seats.) Actually, you do have to love those Lakers!
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