Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Club, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Lakers or simply Lakers, is one of the most iconic and successful basketball clubs in the world. Founded in 1947 as Minneapolis Lakers, it moved to Los Angeles in 1960. The club is based in Los Angeles, California, United States, and plays its home matches at the famous Staples Center, which has a seating capacity of over 19,000.
The Los Angeles Lakers has a rich history, boasting 17 NBA championships, 32 conference titles, and numerous other domestic and international trophies. The club enjoyed its most successful era under legendary players like Magic Johnson, who led Lakers to five NBA championships and Kobe Bryant who led Lakers to five NBA championships between 2000 and 2010.
Known for its attacking style of play, the club has nurtured some of basketball’s greatest talents, including Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and LeBron James. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, Los Angeles Lakers remains one of the world’s most valuable basketball clubs, with a global fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence American and world basketball.
Los Angeles Lakers is one of the most popular basketball teams in the world, with one of the highest average home attendances in the NBA. The team states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Lakers Fan Club, in at least 24 countries. The team takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Los Angeles Lakers has 75 million fans worldwide. The team has the third highest social media following in the world among sports teams (after Barcelona and Real Madrid), with over 82 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that Los Angeles Lakers had the loudest fans in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers was formed in 1947 as Minneapolis Lakers by a group of local businessmen. The team initially played games against other regional teams, but on 20 November 1947, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the colours of the team—purple and gold—they were defeated by Chicago Stags.
In October 1979, the arrival of Magic Johnson marked the beginning of the 'Showtime' era. Johnson brought an unprecedented level of showmanship to the NBA, leading the Lakers to multiple championship titles and turning the team into the league's premier attraction. The Lakers dominated the 1980s, winning five championships with a team that also included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.
On 13 April 2016, Kobe Bryant played his final game, scoring 60 points and leading the Lakers to a win over the Utah Jazz before retiring. He retired as one of the greatest players in basketball history. The club announced the next day that Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton would replace Byron Scott as head coach, having signed a multi-year contract. LeBron James would join the team two years later, in July 2018, marking the beginning of a new era for the storied franchise.
Originally funded by the Minneapolis Lakers, the team became a separate entity in 1960 and was bought by Bob Short. In 1965, majority ownership passed to Jack Kent Cooke who invested significantly to elevate the team's status in the NBA. After his tenure, the team was sold to Dr. Jerry Buss in 1979 for a then-record sum of $67.5 million. Buss introduced showtime basketball and transformed the Lakers into one of the most successful franchises in professional sports. After his death in 2013, ownership of the Lakers passed to his six children via the Buss Family Trusts, with each child inheriting an equal vote.
His daughter, Jeanie Buss, manages the Lakers and represents the Buss family ownership of the team on the NBA Board of Governors. Jim Buss, Jerry's son, was in charge of basketball operations until 2017 when Jeanie dismissed him and hired Magic Johnson to head the team's basketball operations. Johnson resigned in 2019 and was replaced by Rob Pelinka. Despite the changes in management, the Buss family continues to hold majority ownership of the Lakers.
Throughout the team's history, the Lakers have been subject to purchase attempts by various individuals and corporations. In 1998, billionaire Larry Ellison made an unsuccessful bid to buy the team. Again in 2010, he expressed interest in purchasing the Lakers but was rebuffed by the Buss family. More recently, there has been speculation about entertainment conglomerate AEG potentially buying the Lakers, but these rumors have yet to materialize into any concrete offers. Through all this, the Buss family has consistently maintained their commitment to retaining ownership of the Lakers.
The LA Lakers is one of the most successful clubs in the U.S. in terms of championships won. The Lakers' first championship was the NBA Championships, which they won as Minneapolis Lakers in 1949. In 1972, the club won their first league title as the Los Angeles Lakers and has since gone on to win a total of 17 NBA Championships—their total of 17 NBA Championships is tied with the Boston Celtics for the most in NBA history. Those titles have meant the club has appeared a record 32 times in the NBA Finals.
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Los Angeles Lakers: Detailed information about the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Lakers
NBA History: In-depth history and statistics of the NBA https://www.nba.com/history
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