Los Angeles Lakers

The team is owned by Buss Family Trusts (majority), Jeanie Buss (controlling owner), Philip Anschutz, Edward P. Roski, and Patrick Soon-Shiong (minority). The General Manager is Rob Pelinka and the Team President is Jeanie Buss.

In six years, they won five championships in 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, and 1954.

In the off-season of 1996 the team acquired Shaquille O’Neal and from the Charlotte Hornets got rookie Kobe Bryant. In 1999, Phil Jackson was hired as the head coach who was the former Bulls coach. Then the team possessed a championship form and was led by Bryant, O’Neal along with talented supporting members. This team was triumphant in three continuous NBA finals from 2000-2002.

In the 2004 season, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat and Jackson had temporarily retired. Although the Lakers did not do well in the NBA playoffs they were able to achieve the Division and the conference titles.

For the next season, Jackson returned to the team which was led by Bryant. This team was defeated by the Phoenix Suns in the initial round of both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. In the 2006-07 NBA season, the team had a game record of 42-40 which was the worst in the coaching career of Jackson.

The Lakers also have a huge Hollywood fan following. Many movie stars like Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvester Stallone, Tobey Maguire, Salma Hayek, Snoop Dogg, Adam Sandler, Jackie Chan, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Ray Lewis, and many more are among the regular crowd that attend the L.A. Lakers’ games.

The Crypto.com Center is the place where the Lakers play all their home matches. It has a maximum capacity of 19,079. One of the most respected players in NBA history, Magic Johnson, was also a part of the team and has his name along with many others written in the Hall of Famers. LeBron James is the team’s current star player.

Kobe Bryant has helped lead the Lakers to their resurgence and their most recent three-peat in the NBA Championships, which happened from 2000 to 2002.

Notable Players

Some of the most notable players from the Lakers include Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Gasol, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, James Worthy, Jerome Alan West, Jamaal Wilkes, and George Mikan.

Notable Rivalries

Some of the more notable rivalries for the Lakers include those against the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, and the Sacramento Kings.

Coaches

Some of their more notable head coaches include George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott, and Luke Walton. Phil Jackson is perhaps one of the most important coaches to have ever served the Lakers.

Major Achievements

• 1 NBL Championship Title
• 17 NBA Championship Titles
• 19 Conference Titles
• 34 NBL Titles
• 1 NBA Cup Titles