1946–1954: Beginnings and Minneapolis dynasty with George Mikan The franchise was founded in 1946 as the
Detroit Gems and played in the
National Basketball League (NBL) during the 1946–47 season where it finished last in the league with only 4 wins in 44 games. Though the team was scheduled to continue in the NBL the following season, its ownership, faced with high losses due to low attendance and lack of homecourt, decided on selling the team to
Ben Berger and
Morris Chalfen of
Minnesota for $15,000. Minneapolis sportswriter
Sid Hartman played a key, behind-the-scenes role in helping put together the deal and later the team. Inspired by Minnesota's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the team rechristened themselves the Lakers. Hartman helped them hire
John Kundla from
College of St. Thomas to be their first head coach, meeting with him and selling him on the team. As the franchise had the worst record in the NBL the previous season, it got the first pick in the 1947
Professional Basketball League of America dispersal draft, which they used to select
George Mikan. Led by Mikan, the Lakers had a solid roster, which also featured forward
Jim Pollard and playmaker
Herm Schaefer. In their first season, they led the league with a 43–17 record, later winning the NBL championship that season. (#99) led the Lakers franchise to their first five NBA championships. He is described by the NBA's official website as the "first superstar" in league history. Following the season, the BAA and the NBL merged to form the
National Basketball Association (NBA). In the newly formed league, the Lakers improved their record to 51–17 and won their third straight professional championship. In the 1950–51 season, Mikan won his third straight scoring title at 28.4 ppg and the Lakers went 44–24 to win their second straight division title. One of those games, a 19–18 loss against the
Fort Wayne Pistons, became infamous as the lowest scoring game in NBA history. In the playoffs, they defeated the
Indianapolis Olympians in three games but lost to the
Rochester Royals in the next round. They then defeated the New York Knicks to win their second straight championship. The team won its third straight championship in the 1950s and sixth in seven seasons when it defeated the
Syracuse Nationals in seven games.
1954–1958: Post-Mikan dry spell Following Mikan's retirement in the 1954 off-season, the Lakers struggled but still managed to win 40 games. Although they defeated the Rochester Royals in the first round of the playoffs, they were defeated by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the semifinals. Although they had losing records the next two seasons, they made the playoffs each year. Led by Lovellette's 20.6 points and 13.5 rebounds, they advanced to the Conference Finals in 1956–57. The Lakers had one of the worst seasons in team history in 1957–58 when they won a league-low 19 games. They had hired Mikan, who had been the team's general manager for the previous two seasons, as head coach to replace Kundla. Mikan was fired in January when the team was 9–30, and Kundla was rehired. The Lakers earned the top pick in the
1958 NBA draft and used it to select
Elgin Baylor. Baylor, who was named
NBA Rookie of the Year and co-MVP of the
1959 NBA All-Star Game, averaged 24.9 ppg and 15.0 rpg helping the Lakers improve to second in their division despite a 33–39 record. After upsetting the Hawks in six games in the division finals, they returned to the NBA Finals, but were swept by the Celtics, beginning their long rivalry.
1958–1968: Move to Los Angeles and Celtics rivalry (left) and
Jerry West (right) led the team to a total of ten NBA Finals appearances in the 1960s and 1970s. Nicknamed "Mr. Clutch", West's silhouette is featured on the NBA's official logo. In their
last year in Minneapolis, the Lakers went 25–50. On January 18, 1960, the team was coming off a loss and traveling to St. Louis when their plane crash-landed. Snow storms had driven the pilot off course when he was forced to land in a cornfield. No one was hurt. Their record earned them the number two pick in the
1960 NBA draft. The team selected
Jerry West from
West Virginia University. During the 1960 off-season, the Lakers became the NBA's first West Coast team when owner
Bob Short decided to move the team to Los Angeles. Led by Baylor's 34.8 ppg and 19.8 rpg, Los Angeles won 11 more than the year before in West's first season. On November 15 that season, Baylor set a new NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in a victory against the New York Knicks while grabbing 25 rebounds. In doing so, Baylor broke his own NBA record of 64 points. Despite a losing record, the Lakers made
the playoffs. They came within two points of the
NBA Finals when they lost in game seven of their second round series against St. Louis. Led by Baylor and West at 38.3 and 30.8 ppg respectively, the Lakers improved to 54–26 in
1961–62, and made the
finals. In a game five victory, Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds and set the still-standing NBA record for points in a finals game with 61, despite fouling out of the game. The Lakers, however, lost to the Celtics by three points in overtime of game seven. Los Angeles won 53 games in
1962–63, behind Baylor's 34.0 ppg and West's 27.1 ppg but lost in the NBA Finals in six games to the Celtics. They lost again to the Celtics in the Finals however, this time in five games. Los Angeles lost in the finals to Boston in seven games again in 1966, this time by two points. Down by 16 entering the fourth quarter, and 10 with a minute and a half to go, the Lakers mounted a furious rally in the closing moments, which fell just short. After dropping to 36 wins and losing in the first round of the
1967 NBA playoffs, they lost in
the finals to the Celtics again in 1968. On July 9, 1968, the team acquired
Wilt Chamberlain from the
Philadelphia 76ers for Darrell Imhoff,
Archie Clark, and
Jerry Chambers. In his first season as a Laker, Chamberlain set a team record by averaging a league-leading 21.1 rpg. West, Baylor, and Chamberlain each averaged over 20 points, and Los Angeles won their division. The Lakers and Celtics again met in the
finals, and Los Angeles had home court advantage against Boston for the first time in their rivalry. They won the first game behind Jerry West's 53 points, and had a 3–2 lead after five. Boston won the series in seven games however, and earned their 11th NBA Championship in 13 seasons. West was named the first-ever
Finals MVP; this remains the only time that a member of the losing team has won the award. In
1970, West won his first scoring title at 31.2 ppg, the team returned to the
finals, and for the first time in 16 years, they did not have to face the Celtics; instead playing the New York Knicks, who defeated them 4–3. The
next season the Lakers were defeated by the
Milwaukee Bucks, led by future Laker Lew Alcindor (now known as
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the Western Conference Finals. The
1971–72 season brought several changes. Owner
Jack Kent Cooke brought in
Bill Sharman as head coach, and Elgin Baylor announced his retirement early in the season after realizing that his legs were not healthy enough. He introduced the concept of the
shootaround, where players would arrive at the arena early in the morning before a game to practice shots. They won 14 straight games in November and all 16 games played in December. By winning 33 straight games, Los Angeles set a record for
longest winning streak of any team in major American professional team sports. The Lakers won 69 games that season, which
stood as the NBA record for 24 years until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1995–96. Chamberlain averaged a low 14.8 points but led the league in rebounding at 19.2 a game. West's 9.7 assists per game (apg) led the league, he also averaged more than 25 points, and was named MVP of the
1972 NBA All-Star Game. and at the end of the season, Bill Sharman was named
Coach of the Year. The Lakers went on to reach the
finals against the
New York Knicks where they would avenge their 1970
finals loss by defeating them 4 games to 1. Chamberlain tallied 24 points and 29 rebounds in game five and won the
NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. The Lakers won 60 games in the
1972–73 season, and took another Pacific Division title. Wilt Chamberlain, playing in his final season, again led the league in rebounding and set the NBA record for field-goal percentage at 72.7% which stood for several decades.
1973–1979: Building "Showtime" During the
1973–74 season, the team was hampered by the loss of West, who played only 31 games before his legs gave out. Goodrich, averaging 25.3 points, helped the team to a late-season surge. in 1975. After missing the playoffs in the
1974–75 season, the Lakers acquired
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had won three league MVPs by that time. Abdul-Jabbar wanted out of Milwaukee, demanding a trade to either New York or Los Angeles. He was traded for
Elmore Smith,
Brian Winters,
Junior Bridgeman, and
Dave Meyers. Abdul-Jabbar had his fourth MVP season in
1975–76, leading the league in rebounding, blocked shots, and minutes played. The Lakers struggled in January, going 3–10, and finished out of the playoffs at 40–42. West became upset, however, when Cooke refused to spend the money necessary to acquire forward
Julius Erving, who the Nets were selling. Behind another MVP season from Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles won the Pacific Division, finishing the 1976–77 season a league-best 53–29. They defeated the Warriors in a seven-game series to open the postseason before being swept by Portland in the Western Conference Finals. Two months later, a healthy Abdul-Jabbar got into an altercation with
Houston Rockets center
Kevin Kunnert after a rebound. The team's starting power forward,
Kermit Washington, who was averaging 11.5 points and 11.2 rebounds, entered the fight, and when
Rudy Tomjanovich ran in from the bench to break up the action, Washington punched him in the face. Tomjanovich nearly died from the punch, suffering a fractured skull and other facial injuries, which prematurely ended his playing career. Washington, who stated that he assumed Tomjanovich was a combatant, was suspended for two months by the NBA, and released by the Lakers. The team won 45 games despite being down a starter in Washington and not having Abdul-Jabbar for nearly two months, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle. During the 1978–79 season, the team posted a 47–35 record but lost to the SuperSonics in the semifinal round of the playoffs. It took Johnson's teammates time to acclimate themselves to his passing ability, as his "no-look" passes often caught them unaware. Once they adjusted, his passing became a key part of Los Angeles' offense. The Lakers won 60 games in Johnson's rookie year, and defeated the
Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the
1980 NBA Finals. Johnson won the Finals MVP award, after starting at center for the injured Abdul-Jabbar in game six, and tallying 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists. The team fell off in the
1980–81 season, though, as the Lakers lost Johnson for most of the season to a knee injury. The team turned in a 54–28 record and finished second behind the
Phoenix Suns in the Pacific Division. Westhead was fired shortly after Johnson's criticisms, and although Lakers' owner
Jerry Buss stated that Johnson's comments did not factor into the decision, Johnson was vilified by the national media and booed both on the road and at home. Buss promoted assistant coach
Pat Riley to "co-head coach" with Jerry West (although West considered himself Riley's assistant) on November 19 and the team won 17 of its next 20 games. Nicknamed "
Showtime" due to the team's new Johnson-led fast break-offense, the Lakers won the Pacific Division title and swept both the
Suns and
Spurs in the
1982 playoffs. Los Angeles stretched its postseason winning streak to nine games by taking the first contest of the
NBA Finals from the
76ers. The team won the Finals 4–2 to finish a 12–2 playoff run. The
Lakers won the Pacific Division at 58–24, but Worthy suffered a leg injury in the last week of the season and missed the rest of the season. The Sixers, however, won the series and the championship in four games. In the
1983–84 season, Los Angeles went 54–28, and played
Boston in the
Finals for the first time since
1969. Boston won three of the next four to win the title and send Los Angeles's record to 0–8 in Finals series against the Celtics. Using the past year's Finals defeat as motivation,
the team won the Pacific Division for the fourth straight year and lost just two games in the
Western Conference playoffs. In the
NBA Finals, the
Celtics were again the Lakers' final hurdle. Los Angeles lost game one of the NBA Finals by a score of 148–114, in what is remembered as the "Memorial Day Massacre". The Lakers, behind 38-year-old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar, recovered to defeat the Celtics in six games. The team won the title in the
Boston Garden and became the first visiting team to ever win an NBA championship in Boston, as the
Golden State Warriors later achieved this feat in
2022. In the
1985–86 season, the Lakers started 24–3 and went on to win 62 games and their fifth straight division title. The
Rockets, however, defeated the Lakers in five games in the
Western Conference Finals. Houston won the series when
Ralph Sampson hit a 20-foot jumper as time expired in game five at The Forum. Johnson won his first career MVP Award while leading the Lakers to a 65–17 record, The Lakers advanced to the
NBA Finals by sweeping the
Nuggets, defeating the
Warriors in five games, and sweeping the
SuperSonics in the
Western Conference Finals. The Lakers defeated
Boston in the first two games of the Finals, and the teams split the next four games, giving Los Angeles their second championship in three seasons. Johnson was named the NBA Finals MVP, in addition to regular season MVP. At the Lakers' championship celebration in Los Angeles, coach Riley brashly declared that Los Angeles would repeat as NBA champions, The win marked their fifth title in nine years, but would also mark their last title until
2000. In the
1988–89 season, Los Angeles won 57 games and their eighth consecutive Pacific Division crown. They swept through the
playoffs defeating
Portland,
Seattle, and
Phoenix. In an eighth trip to the
NBA Finals in 10 years, they once again faced the
Detroit Pistons. Hampered by injuries to
Byron Scott and Johnson, the Lakers were swept by Detroit. Following the 1989 Finals, on June 28, 1989, after 20 professional seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement.
The Lakers still cruised through the Pacific Division, winning their ninth consecutive division crown with a 63–19 record. However, after beating the
Rockets in the first round, they lost four games to one in the second round of the playoffs to the
Suns. Riley announced he was stepping down after the season citing
burnout, and was replaced by
Mike Dunleavy. Riley's departure received a mixed reaction from the players. They respected his contributions, but some, such as Worthy and Scott, had grown tired of his intense practices and felt he tried to take too much credit for the team's successes. Following the season, 1987
Defensive Player of the Year winner
Michael Cooper decided to play in Europe and was waived at his request. The
1990–91 Lakers failed to win the Pacific Division for the first time in 10 years, but still finished with a 58–24 record. After cruising through the
Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers found themselves in the
NBA Finals once again, their ninth trip to the Finals in 12 years. The 1991 Finals represented a changing of the guard as the Lakers were defeated in five games by the
Chicago Bulls, led by superstar
Michael Jordan.
1991–1996: Post-"Showtime" dry spell The Lakers started the
1991–92 season by winning the international
McDonald's Open in Paris, France, in October with Magic Johnson being named the tournament MVP. However, on November 7, 1991, Johnson announced he had tested positive for
HIV and would retire immediately. In their
first season without Johnson, the team won 43 games to earn the eighth seed in the
Western Conference playoffs. During the
1993–94 season, Pfund was fired during the season that would result in the Lakers failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 1976. Magic Johnson, would coach the final 16 games of the season with former teammate Michael Cooper as his lead assistant. Johnson decided not to take the job permanently due to what he felt was a lack of commitment from certain players, and Los Angeles ended the season with a 10-game losing streak to finish 33–49. Under new coach
Del Harris, Los Angeles made the playoffs each of the next two seasons but was eliminated in the second and first rounds respectively. The team was led by young guards
Nick Van Exel and
Eddie Jones. Johnson came out of retirement to return as a player in the
1995–96 season to lead the then 24–18 Lakers to a 29–11 finish. After some run-ins with Van Exel, displeasure with Harris's strategies, and a first-round loss to the
Rockets, Johnson decided to retire for the final time after the season.
1996–2004: O'Neal and Bryant dynasty During the 1996 off-season, the Lakers acquired 17-year-old
Kobe Bryant from the
Charlotte Hornets for
Vlade Divac; Bryant was drafted 13th overall out of
Lower Merion High School in
Ardmore, Pennsylvania in
that year's draft, by Charlotte. Los Angeles also signed free-agent
Shaquille O'Neal. Trading for Bryant was West's idea, and he was influential in the team's signing of the all-star center. "Jerry West is the reason I came to the Lakers", O'Neal later said. They used their 24th pick in the draft to select
Derek Fisher. During
the season, the team traded
Cedric Ceballos to Phoenix for
Robert Horry. O'Neal led the team to a 56–26 record, their best effort since 1990–91, despite missing 31 games due to a knee injury. O'Neal averaged 26.2 ppg and 12.5 rpg and finished third in the league in blocked shots (2.88 bpg) in 51 games. The Lakers defeated the
Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the
playoffs as O'Neal scored 46 points in Game 1 against the Trail Blazers, marking the highest single-game playoff scoring output by a Laker since Jerry West scored 53 against the Celtics in 1969. O'Neal would miss 20 games on the season due to an abdominal injury. The team also acquired
J. R. Reid,
B. J. Armstrong, and
Glen Rice. Head coach Del Harris was fired in February after a three-game losing streak and replaced on an interim basis by former Laker
Kurt Rambis. The team finished 31–19 in the strike-shortened season, which was fourth in the Western Conference. The Lakers defeated
Houston in the first round of the playoffs, but were swept by
San Antonio in the next round. Game four of the series would be the last game ever played at the
Great Western Forum. following their 2001 NBA championship Before the
1999–2000 season, West was prepared to hire Rambis as the team's full-time coach before an outcry from fans and members of the organization caused him to seek out a bigger name. Los Angeles hired former
Chicago Bulls coach
Phil Jackson, who had coached that team to six championships, and gave him a lucrative $6 million a year contract. He brought along assistant
Tex Winter and they installed Winter's version of the
triangle offense. The Lakers signed veterans
Brian Shaw,
John Salley,
Ron Harper, and
A.C. Green, who was a Laker during the "Showtime" era. Led by league MVP O'Neal, the
Lakers won 31 of their first 36 games. They finished 67–15, the highest win total since they won 65 in the
1986–87 season. After the Lakers took a three games to one lead in the Western Conference Finals against
Portland, the Trail Blazers won the next two games to force a game seven. The Lakers, who trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter, would go on 19–4 run to tie the game and eventually win 89–84 to advance to the
NBA Finals. West retired from his spot in the team's front office after the season after a power struggle between him and Jackson over control of the team's operations. After the season, starters Rice and Green left the team, and Los Angeles signed
Horace Grant. The
following season, the Lakers won 11 fewer regular season games than the prior year, but swept the first three rounds of the
playoffs, defeating the
Portland,
Sacramento, and
San Antonio. They met
Allen Iverson and the
Philadelphia 76ers in the
NBA Finals. Although the Sixers took game one in overtime, the Lakers won the next four games to win their second straight title. Their 15–1 postseason record was the best in NBA history. The Lakers won 58 games in
2001–02. In the
playoffs, they swept
Portland and defeated
San Antonio four games to one to advance to the Western Conference Finals to face
Sacramento. The series would go on to be known as one of the greatest playoff matchups in NBA history. The series extended to all seven games and ended in a Lakers victory. In game one, Bryant scored 30 points as the Lakers won, 106–99. The series would then shift in Sacramento's favor, with the Kings winning the next two games. Facing a deficit in game 4, the Lakers had the ball with under 20 seconds to play. After misses by both Bryant and O'Neal, Kings center
Vlade Divac tapped the ball away from the rim in an attempt to wind down the clock. It went straight into
Robert Horry's hands, who drained a game-winning three with under three seconds to play. After the Kings won game five on a buzzer-beater by
Mike Bibby, the Lakers were faced with a must-win game six. In one of the most controversial playoff games in league history (
Tim Donaghy's
betting scandal), the Lakers would win by four points. The Lakers went on to win game seven in overtime, with the Kings missing numerous potentially game-saving shots and free throws. The Lakers then achieved a three-peat by sweeping
Jason Kidd and the
New Jersey Nets in the
NBA Finals. O'Neal won each of the Finals series' MVP awards, making him the only player besides
Michael Jordan to win three consecutive Finals MVPs. The
Lakers would attempt a four-peat the following year, but started the
2002–03 season 11–19. However, they finished the season 39–13 to finish 50–32. They defeated
Minnesota in the first round of the
playoffs, but the four-peat attempt ended as they were eliminated by
San Antonio in six games in the second round. During the
2003–04 season, the team was the subject of intense media coverage generated by the teaming of four stars and the
sexual-assault case involving Kobe Bryant. Before the season, the Lakers signed two-time MVP
Karl Malone formerly of the
Jazz, and former
Seattle Defensive Player of the Year
Gary Payton to join O'Neal and Bryant, forming the first
"superteam" of the 21st century. Three of the "big four", however, struggled with injuries: O'Neal suffered from a strained calf, Malone an injured knee, and Bryant an injured shoulder. The Lakers started 18–3 and finished 56–26 and won the
Pacific Division title, entering the
playoffs as the No. 2 seed. They defeated
Houston,
San Antonio, and
Minnesota to advance to the
NBA Finals. In the Finals, they would lose to
Detroit in five games.
2004–2016: The Kobe Bryant era 2004–2007: Rebuilding During the 2004 off-season, the team entered a rebuilding phase when O'Neal was traded to the
Miami Heat for
Lamar Odom,
Brian Grant,
Caron Butler, and a first-round draft pick. Bryant and O'Neal had
clashed in the past, and the media credited their feud as one of the motivating factors for the trade. Jackson did not return as head coach, and
wrote a book about the team's 2003–04 season, in which he heavily criticized Bryant and called him "uncoachable". The Lakers front office said that the book contained "several inaccuracies". The Lakers also traded
Rick Fox and Gary Payton to Boston, for
Chris Mihm,
Marcus Banks, and
Chucky Atkins before the
2004–05 season. Derek Fisher, frustrated with losing playing time, opted out of his contract and signed with the Warriors. Tomjanovich coached the team to a 22–19 record before resigning due to health problems. Assistant
Frank Hamblen was named interim head coach to replace Tomjanovich for the remainder of the season. Bryant (ankle) and Odom (shoulder) suffered injuries, and the Lakers finished 34–48, missing the playoffs for only the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since
1994. The team also traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to
Washington for
Kwame Brown and
Laron Profit. Jackson returned to coach the
team after Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through the previous season. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored 81 points against
Toronto, the second-highest total in NBA history. Ending the season 45–37, the team made the
playoffs after a one-season absence. After taking a three games to one lead in the first round,
Phoenix came back to take the series in seven games. In
the following season, the Lakers won 26 of their first 39 games, but lost 27 of their last 43—including seven in a row at one point—to finish 42–40. Buss initially agreed to seek a trade, but also worked to try to change Bryant's mind.
2007–2011: Bryant and Gasol championships After re-acquiring
Derek Fisher, the Lakers started the
2007–08 season with a 25–11 record, before
Andrew Bynum, their center who was leading the league in field-goal percentage, went out for the year due to a knee injury in mid-January. In what would become a crucial transfer for the franchise's return to championship form, they acquired the six-time all-star power forward
Pau Gasol from the
Memphis Grizzlies in a trade in early February and went 22–5 to finish the season. The Lakers' 57–25 record earned them the first seed in the
Western Conference. Bryant was awarded the league's MVP award, becoming the first Laker to win the award since O'Neal in 2000. In
the playoffs, they defeated the Nuggets in four games, the Jazz in six, and the defending champion Spurs in five, but lost to the
Celtics in six games in
the NBA Finals. In the
2008–09 season, the Lakers finished 65–17; the best record in the Western Conference. They defeated the
Jazz in five games, the
Rockets in seven and the
Nuggets in six, to win the Western Conference title. They then won their 15th NBA championship by defeating the
Orlando Magic in five games in
the NBA finals. Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career. following their 2010 NBA championship The Lakers, who had added
Ron Artest (Metta World Peace) in place of
Trevor Ariza in their starting lineup, finished
the 2009–10 season with the best record in the
Western Conference for the third straight time. On January 13, 2010, the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to win 3,000 regular-season games by defeating the
Dallas Mavericks 100–95. They defeated the
Oklahoma City Thunder, the
Utah Jazz, and the
Phoenix Suns in the
Western Conference playoffs. In
the finals, the Lakers played the
Boston Celtics for the 12th time. They rallied back from a 3–2 disadvantage in the series and erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the seventh game to defeat the Celtics. This series win gave them their 16th NBA title overall and 11th since they moved to Los Angeles. Bryant was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row, despite a 6–24 shooting performance in game seven. After much speculation, head coach Phil Jackson returned for the
2010–11 season. In the
playoffs, the Lakers defeated the
New Orleans Hornets in the first round. But their opportunity for a three-peat was denied by the
Dallas Mavericks in a four-game sweep of the second round. After the season, it was announced that Jackson will not be returning to coach the Lakers.
2011–2016: Post-Jackson era After Jackson's retirement, former
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach
Mike Brown was hired as head coach on May 25, 2011. Before the start of the
shortened 2011–12 season, the Lakers traded
Lamar Odom to the
Dallas Mavericks after Odom requested to be traded. On the trade deadline long time Laker
Derek Fisher along with a first round draft pick were traded to the
Houston Rockets for
Jordan Hill. With a 41–25 regular season record the Lakers entered the
playoffs as the third seed, the team defeated the
Denver Nuggets in the first round in seven games but were eliminated by the
Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round in five games. On July 4, 2012,
Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns agreed to a
sign-and-trade deal that would send him to the Lakers in exchange for the Lakers' 2013 and 2015 first round draft picks, 2013 and 2014 second round draft picks, and $3 million. The trade was made official on July 11, 2012, the first day the trade moratorium was lifted. On August 10, 2012, in a four-team trade the Lakers traded Andrew Bynum and acquired
Dwight Howard. The combination of these players with Bryant and Gasol led media outlets to refer to them as a
"superteam" comparable to the 2003-04 Lakers. On November 9, 2012, Mike Brown was relieved of coaching duties after a 1–4 start to the
2012–13 season. Assistant Coach Bernie Bickerstaff took over as interim head coach, leading the Lakers to a 5–5 record. On November 12, 2012, the Lakers hired
Mike D'Antoni as head coach. On February 18, 2013, Lakers owner Jerry Buss died from cancer at age 80. On the court, D'Antoni coached the Lakers to a 40–32 record the rest of the way to finish 45–37, their worst record since
2007. The Lakers clinched a playoff berth on the final game of the season and finished seventh in the Western Conference after beating the Houston Rockets on April 16, 2013. The Lakers battled injuries all season, the most prominent of which is the
Achilles tendon rupture to Kobe Bryant that ended his season after 78 games. The absence of Bryant was sorely felt as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the
2013 NBA playoffs. Nevertheless, Bryant passed Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain to become the fourth all-time leading scorer in NBA history on March 30, 2013, against the Sacramento Kings. On December 8, 2013, Bryant played in his first game since tearing his Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013. However, on December 17, 2013, he suffered a broken bone in his knee, and did not return for the remainder of the season. On March 25, 2014, the Lakers scored 51 points in the third quarter against the New York Knicks, the most points scored in a quarter in the history of the franchise. The Lakers went on to miss the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2005, for just the second time in the last two decades and for just the sixth time in franchise history. On April 30, 2014, Mike D'Antoni resigned from his position as head coach after a 27–55 season. After spending the majority of the off-season without a head coach, the Lakers named former player
Byron Scott as the new head coach. After the season, he was the frontrunner to become the new Lakers head coach. Scott interviewed three times for the position, which had become vacant after
Mike D'Antoni's resignation. On July 28, 2014, he signed a multi-year contract to coach the Lakers. During the first game of the
2014–15 season, the seventh overall pick in the
2014 NBA draft,
Julius Randle went down with a broken leg, which ended his rookie season. The Lakers began their season losing 10 of their first 16 games. After playing only 35 games, Kobe Bryant tore a rotator cuff in his shoulder ending his season.
Nick Young was also forced to end his season with a fractured kneecap, leaving the team with a record of 14–41. With 27 games left in the regular season, Byron Scott gave rookie
Jordan Clarkson more playing time. Clarkson, the 46th overall pick in the 2014 draft, finished his rookie season with game stats of 11.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, and shooting 44.8% from the field. The Lakers' season ended with a record of 21–61, the fourth worst record in the league and at the time the worst record in franchise history. The next season, the Lakers had the second overall pick of the
2015 NBA draft, which they used to select
Ohio State freshman point guard
D'Angelo Russell. The team also selected
Larry Nance Jr. with the 27th overall pick. On November 30, 2015, Bryant announced he would retire at the end of the season after 20 seasons with the team. In Bryant's last season the team missed the playoffs for the third straight year with a 17–65 record, the worst in franchise history.
2016–2018: Post-Bryant era , who coached the Lakers for three seasons On April 24, 2016, the Lakers announced that they would not exercise their option on Byron Scott's contract for the following season. On April 29, the team announced another former Laker,
Luke Walton, as their new head coach. At the time of his hiring, Walton was an assistant coach for the
Golden State Warriors, who were in the
playoffs, so he could not officially begin his duties as head coach until the Warriors' playoff run was over. The Lakers earned the second overall pick in the
2016 NBA draft, and selected
Brandon Ingram from
Duke University. The team also selected
Ivica Zubac with the 32nd overall pick. On February 21, 2017, the Lakers fired general manager Mitch Kupchak, while
Magic Johnson was named as the president of basketball operations. The team's governor Jeanie Buss, also announced the removal of her brother,
Jim Buss, from his position as executive vice president of basketball operations. On March 7, 2017, the Lakers hired
Rob Pelinka as the general manager, signing him to a five-year deal. The Lakers again earned the second overall pick, this time, in the
2017 NBA draft, and selected
Lonzo Ball from
UCLA. The Lakers also acquired
Kyle Kuzma from the
University of Utah with the 27th overall pick from a draft-day trade, along with
Brook Lopez in exchange for
D'Angelo Russell and
Timofey Mozgov. The Lakers also traded their 28th overall pick,
Tony Bradley, in exchange for the 30th overall pick,
Josh Hart, from
Villanova University and the 42nd overall pick,
Thomas Bryant, from
Indiana University. In February 2018, Nance Jr. and Clarkson were traded away to the
Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for
Isaiah Thomas,
Channing Frye, and a 2018 first-round draft pick. On July 2, 2018, Randle was renounced by the Lakers.
2018–2025: The LeBron James era 2018–2019: The arrival of LeBron James in 2018 On July 9, 2018, the Lakers signed
LeBron James to a four-year, $154 million contract. By the Christmas Day game, the Lakers were six games over .500 before James sustained a groin injury leading to several weeks of missed games. Ball and Ingram also ended their seasons early due to injuries. On February 7, 2019, Zubac was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers along with
Michael Beasley in exchange for
Mike Muscala. On April 9, 2019, Johnson stepped down as the team's president of basketball operations, and two days later, the Lakers parted ways with head coach Walton after the team failed to reach the playoffs for the sixth straight year.
2019–2025: James and Davis era On May 13,
Frank Vogel was named the Lakers' head coach. The Lakers received the fourth overall pick in the
2019 NBA draft lottery. On July 6, the Lakers acquired
Anthony Davis from the
New Orleans Pelicans for Ball, Ingram, Hart, and three first-round picks, including the number four overall in the 2019 draft. This trade officially ended the young core era of the Lakers; only Kuzma remained out of the group of players. On January 25, 2020,
LeBron James passed
Kobe Bryant for third place on the
NBA's all-time scoring list during a road loss to the
Philadelphia 76ers in Bryant's hometown. The next day, tragedy struck when Bryant was killed in a
Calabasas helicopter accident, alongside his 13-year-old daughter
Gianna and seven others. The team would subsequently postpone their January 28 meeting with the crosstown rival
Los Angeles Clippers. This marked the first time an NBA game was postponed for any reason since nearly seven years earlier when the
2013 Boston Marathon bombing led to the postponement of a Celtics game and the Lakers would pay tribute to Bryant and the victims prior to a January 31 game against the
Portland Trail Blazers. Following the
suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season on March 11, the Lakers were one of the 22 teams invited to the
NBA Bubble to participate in the final eight games of the regular season. The Lakers finished the regular season with a 52–19 record, entering the playoffs for the first time since 2013, and as the top seed for the first time since 2010. They advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010. They defeated the
Miami Heat 4–2 to win the
2020 NBA Finals, and James was named the Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career. A championship dedicated to Bryant, the win gave Los Angeles their 17th championship in franchise history, tying the Boston Celtics for the most all-time. Primary Lakers owner
Jeanie Buss, who took over the team in 2017, would also become the first female controlling owner of an NBA team to win the NBA Finals. During the 2021 off-season, the Lakers picked up many NBA veterans, the most notable of which was
Russell Westbrook, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the
Washington Wizards.
Kyle Kuzma, the last player left from the Lakers' young core era, was traded away, along with others. Other veterans picked up during the off-season included
Carmelo Anthony,
DeAndre Jordan, and returning players
Wayne Ellington,
Trevor Ariza,
Dwight Howard and
Rajon Rondo.
Alex Caruso left the Lakers and signed with the
Chicago Bulls, and veteran locker-room voice
Jared Dudley retired. The Lakers made a surprising run in the
2023 Playoffs, making the Western Conference Finals, but were defeated by the eventual champion
Denver Nuggets. On December 9, 2023, the Lakers won the inaugural
NBA In-Season Tournament after defeating the
Indiana Pacers in the
championship game. James was named the inaugural tournament MVP. They finished the 2023–24 season 47–35 and beat the
New Orleans Pelicans in the Play-In to make the playoffs as the seventh seed. On June 20, 2024,
JJ Redick was hired as head coach of the Lakers. On June 27, 2024, the Lakers selected
Bronny James, the son of LeBron, at 55th overall in the
2024 NBA draft, forming the first father-son duo in NBA history. On October 23, 2024, the team made NBA history as being the first one to have father and son (LeBron James & Bronny James) play together as they beat Minnesota Timberwolves on their season opening game.
2025–present: The Luka Dončić era 2025: Dončić's arrival On February 1, 2025, the Lakers
traded Anthony Davis,
Max Christie, and a first-round pick in 2029 for all-star guard
Luka Dončić,
Maxi Kleber, and
Markieff Morris. The Jazz got
Jalen Hood-Schifino, and two 2025 second-round picks. The Lakers intended to trade Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2030 pick swap, and their 2031 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Mark Williams. The trade was rescinded. ==Rivalries==