Lakers

Love them or hate them, the Los Angeles Lakers are the most iconic NBA franchise. Superstars like Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kobe Bryant, both the Lakers’ team stats leaders, have become global celebrities. The mainstream media loves the Lakers and we can often find shows and movies about them. And, why not? This is one of the most winningest franchises in professional sports with 17 titles and counting.

As a popular team, the Lakers tend to have extra juice on their NBA odds. That’s because oddsmakers want to rake in the cash from the obsessed fans. Even when the Lakers aren’t performing that well, which is rare, they will receive plenty of action in the sportsbook.

General Information

Conference & Division

• Founded: 1947
• Conference: Western
• Division: Pacific

City: Los Angeles, California

Stadium: Crypto.com Arena

Championships & Titles

Years:

• 17 NBA Championships
• 19 Conference Championships
• 33 Division Titles

Los Angeles Lakers All-Time Records

Most points all-time:

• Kobe Bryant, 33,643

Most rebounds all-time:

• Elgin Baylor, 11,463

Most assists all-time:

• Magic Johnson, 10,141

Most steals all-time:

• Kobe Bryant, 1,944

Most blocks all-time:

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 2,694

Most wins all-time (coach):

• Pat Riley, 533

Boston Celtics Stats & Team History

The Lakers got their moniker because they debuted in Minneapolis. Right in the beginning, the franchise won the National Basketball League (NBL) Championship with George Mikan as the star player. The team won five more championships in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and NBA before relocating to Los Angeles in 1960.

As a star-studded team that featured Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and later on, Wilt Chamberlain, the Lakers were perennial NBA finalists. They formed a rivalry with the Boston Celtics, who continually beat them. But finally, in 1972, the Lakers won the NBA Championship.

In the mid-70s, Chamberlain retired and West transitioned to becoming an executive with the team. The Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from Milwaukee to succeed Chamberlain in 1975. The dominant center won a trio of MVPs with the team and became the first-key piece of what would become the “Showtime” Lakers dynasty.

In the 1979 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected Magic Johnson who turned the team into an overnight powerhouse. With Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers went on to win five NBA Championships in eight Finals appearances.

Pat Riley joined the team as coach in 1982 and other stars like James Worthy and Michael Cooper helped make the Showtime Lakers the most successful era for the franchise. The team did not miss the NBA playoffs with Johnson.

However, Riley stepped down as coach in 1990, and Johnson abruptly retired after he tested positive for HIV in 1991. He was already the Los Angeles Lakers’ team stats leader in assists.

With the Showtime era over, the Lakers re-tooled and remained competitive in the mid-1990s. In 1996, they acquired star center Shaquille O’Neal and drafted Kobe Bryant. The duo formed one of the most iconic tandems in the NBA, which culminated in three championships.

The Lakers signed Phil Jackson, who won six titles with Michael Jordan in Chicago, to mentor “Shaq” and Bryant. Even when O’Neal left in 2005, the Bryant-led Lakers won two more NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.

Bryant suffered a career-threatening injury in 2013 then retired in 2016. This was the darkest period for the franchise as it missed the playoffs for six consecutive seasons. But the Lakers acquired superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and returned to glory with a record-tying 17th NBA Championship in 2020.

Expectations remain high for this team even if it has once again underachieved. But with its ability to lure superstars, count on the Lakers to recreate another title contender.

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