Official Ticket Marketplace of the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers History
The Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. They boast 19 conference titles, 33 division titles and 17 NBA Championships. The franchise started in 1947 as the Minneapolis Lakers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and predated the official founding of the NBA. At the time, the Lakers were a member of the National Basketball League (NBL). They moved to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to the 1948–49 season. After that season, the NBL and BAA merged to form the NBA. The Lakers dominated the newly formed NBA, winning five of the first six NBA Championships.
Two big decisions in 1960 altered the future of the franchise. First, they selected Jerry West with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Then, the franchise moved to Los Angeles in the same offseason, becoming the NBA's first West Coast team. After several trips to the NBA Finals and trading for Wilt Chamberlain, the Lakers won the NBA Championship in 1971–72, an amazing season that included a 33-game win streak, which is still the NBA record for most consecutive wins. West would go on to become a Hall of Famer, and his silhouette is featured as the NBA's logo.
The Lakers' next era of dominance began in 1979, when they selected Earvin "Magic" Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick. Johnson's unrivaled passing ability allowed the Lakers to play with an up-tempo style that became known as "Showtime." Led by Johnson and fellow Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers won the NBA Championship in Johnson's rookie season and a total of five titles during the '80s.
The Lakers were led to three consecutive titles between 2000 and 2002 by the legendary duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, including a run through the 2000–01 playoffs that saw them lose just one game in four series. The franchise entered a short rebuilding period after trading O'Neal in 2004, but Bryant led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances once again, starting in the 2007–08 season. They lost to the Celtics in their first appearance, but responded by winning the next two championships, the second of which came in seven games against the Celtics.
Following the postponement of the 2019-20 NBA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team won its most recent NBA Finals in 2020 in the NBA Bubble behind Finals MVP LeBron James and All-Star forward Anthony Davis. In 2023, the Lakers won the inaugural NBA in-season tournament.
Los Angeles Lakers Team Info
Conference: Western
Division: Pacific
Year Founded: 1947
Team Colors: Purple, Gold, Black
Team Rivals: Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena
Crypto.com Arena, formerly the STAPLES Center, has been the home of the Lakers since construction was completed in 1999. Located adjacent to the L.A. LIVE entertainment district and next to the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.com Arena is in the heart of one of Los Angeles' most popular areas. The Lakers share Crypto.com Arena with two other professional franchises — the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.