Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers (formerly Minneapolis Lakers ) are one of 30 teams in the National Basketball Association. The team won a total of 16 championship titles, the second- most behind the Boston Celtics (17). The team and team colors are gold and purple. There are also exceptions, so-called Sunday jerseys, which existed in the 1970s, for example, in blue and are in white since 2002. The Lakers are the only team in the NBA, whose home jersey is not white but is gold. The team name " Lakers " (in German about Lake ) goes back to the time when the Lakers were playing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. " Lakers " refers to the nickname of the state of Minnesota as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". After moving to Los Angeles, the team kept the name. According to Forbes Magazine, the Lakers are an estimated 900 million U.S. dollars, the most expensive franchise in the NBA (as of 2012).
- 4.1 transmission rights
- 4.2 Celtics - Lakers rivalry
History
Beginning in Minneapolis; Relocating to Los Angeles (1947-1968)
Since the early days of the league, the Lakers to the NBA and also among the most successful teams. At that time still based in Minneapolis, formed the Lakers with their center George Mikan, the first dynasty when they won five championships 1949-1954. After the fifth title win Mikan announced his resignation, the subsequent unsuccessful phase of the Lakers was short-lived. In 1958 she drafteten Elgin Baylor and Jerry West two years later. In the same year, the club of Minneapolis to the West Coast moved to Los Angeles. Despite the two superstars Baylor and West - both in 1996, the 50th anniversary of the League, voted one of the 50 best players in NBA history - were the Lakers will not be able to break the supremacy of the Boston Celtics in the 1960s, the 1957-1969 eleven championships won.
Wilt Chamberlain era (1968-1973)
1968 brought the Lakers Wilt Chamberlain, the outstanding center in the league. However, despite this reinforcement they lost over the next three years on the way to the title. Only in 1972 the Lakers won their first championship in Los Angeles, ironically without Elgin Baylor, who in the middle of the season due to injury explained his resignation. 1973 defeated the team again in the NBA Finals, after Wilt Chamberlain resigned. A year later followed him Jerry West and the Lakers were forced to build a new team.
Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, James Worthy and Magic Johnson era (1976-1996)
1976 succeeded the Lakers again to obligate the best center in the league, in this case, Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, to date, a three-time MVP of the league. Abdul- Jabbar won in the two years that the award of the Most Valuable Player of the league championships for the Lakers did not materialize. In 1979, the Lakers came by a clever trade with the Utah Jazz of the right to be allowed to vote in the Drafts first team. The choice fell on Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who led the Lakers in his first season for the awaited NBA title. 1982 won the Lakers the championship again. In the Drafts 1982, the Lakers were, according to a previously made agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers once again the first choice right. With the first pick they selected James Worthy made . In the 1980s justified Abdul -Jabbar, Johnson and Worthy, due to the spectacular play, the " Showtime Express". By 1988, three additional championships were added ( 1985, 1987, 1988). 1989 documents the Lakers surprisingly strong against the Detroit Pistons. In the same year Abdul- Jabbar retired after 20 years of professional career. Magic Johnson led the team single-handedly one more time to the final, defeated in 1991 Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls. A few months later, Johnson announced his career end due to HIV infection.
Beginning of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal - era (1996-2004)
Johnson's sudden resignation offset the Lakers in a state of shock from which they recovered only after several years. 1996 reach the then general manager Jerry West two obligations which render the Lakers to a blow to the title contenders. First, he was trading the center of the team, Vlade Divac for the draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets, Kobe Bryant. A few days later, he signed Shaquille O'Neal, who was then - as Chamberlain before him, and Abdul- Jabbar - the most dominant center in the NBA was. Until the 1998/99 season of this highly talented team always different from early in the NBA playoffs, followed by the team owner Jerry Buss first to do so by rank, to undertake a real star coach.
Prior to the 1999/2000 season was Phil Jackson, six -time champion with the Bulls, head coach of the Lakers, and with it the success. Shaquille O'Neal, who already was the best player in the NBA after Jordan's resignation in 1999 already, rose again and was almost unanimous Most Valuable Player of the Year ( MVP) selected. By 2002, the Lakers won three championships in series, a so-called threepeat. This success was the two stars of the team, Bryant and O'Neal together despite their mutual antipathy. But after she lost early in 2002/ 03 in the playoffs and 2003/ 04, although highly favored, was defeated in the NBA Finals, the paths of the two superstars parted. The Lakers decided to keep Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and so was, among other things, in exchange for Lamar Odom, sent to the Miami Heat.
Reconstruction (2004-2007)
The departure of O'Neal to the Heat tore a larger hole than expected and Kobe Bryant alone was not able to compensate for this. In the 2004/05 season the playoffs found for the first time after 1994 again take place without the Lakers. Surprisingly returned after the season Phil Jackson return as coach of the Lakers. In the season 2005/06, however, the Lakers managed to come due to the resurgent Kobe Bryant in the playoffs, where they narrowly documents against the title favorites Phoenix Suns.
The following year, the 2006/07 season, the Lakers suffered a crushing defeat against the Dallas Mavericks. The team lost on home soil 72:108. This home loss is the highest in the history of the club.
In the playoffs in 2007 was similar to the previous season. They fought to seventh place in the West and were again against the Phoenix Suns. They lost the series but with 1:4.
Return to the top, obligation of Pau Gasol (2007-2011)
In the 2007 /08 season, she earned himself first place in the Western Conference and moved into the finals, where they were beaten the Boston Celtics documents. Since the 2007/ 08 NBA season, the Lakers are again among the best teams in the NBA. This is owing mainly to the positive development of their center Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol of the trade, who came from the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2008.
In the 2008 /09 season they reached the finals. These were won 4-1 against Orlando Magic. The most valuable player this series Kobe Bryant was elected Finals MVP.
In the 2009/10 season, the Lakers moved for the third time in a row in the finals, where they, like two years ago, met the Boston Celtics. This time, the Lakers decided the series 4-3, and Kobe Bryant was re-elected Finals MVP.
In the 2010/11 season, the Lakers started again the favorite in the season. After a relatively good season, the Lakers qualified for the playoffs. After the victory in the first round against the New Orleans Hornets, the team retired disappointing against the Dallas Mavericks, to the German star Dirk Nowitzki, with 0:4 from. With the departure of Phil Jackson era ended with the Lakers. Jackson led the Lakers to five championships.
Prior to the 2011/12 season, which began on December 25 due to the lockout, sub-band David Stern ( NBA Commissioner ) by veto a trade, in which Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom should go in exchange for Chris Paul to the New Orleans Hornets ( the NBA itself since December 2010 the owner of the Hornets ). As this trade did not materialize, Jason Kapono has been committed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Furthermore, Lamar Odom left the team to Dallas for the Mavericks. This happened because of this, after he had learned that the Lakers wanted to give him to get Chris Paul, had called for a change.
Shortly before the end of the Trade Deadline sent the Lakers Derek Fisher, along with their First Round Pick to Houston at the Rockets in exchange for power forward / center Jordan Hill. Furthermore, Luke Walton and Jason Kapono were sent with the new 2012 First Round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers were in turn the point guard Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga.
The Lakers were able to conclude the regular season in third place in the Western Conference and met in the first round of the playoffs to the Denver Nuggets. The series won the Lakers 4-3 in games. In Conference semifinals they parted against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 1:4 in games from.
Season with Dwight Howard and rebuild (since 2012)
In the offseason of 2012, the Lakers reinforced with Dwight Howard, who moved from the Orlando Magic. Likewise, they could bring with Steve Nash and Antawn Jamison further notable commitments to the team. With three defeats in a row early in the season, the Lakers started so poorly in a season since 1978 as no longer. After only one could be won by the first five games, Head Coach Mike Brown was released in November 2012 and replaced by Mike D' Antoni. Shortly before the start of the playoffs were Kobe Bryant with torn Achilles tendon and, furthermore, Steve Blake and Steve Nash. As a result, the Lakers lost in the first round in four games against the San Antonio Spurs.
For the 2013/2014 season left performers like Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace and Antawn Jamison, the team, despite some present new contract offers. Especially the departure of Howard was hard on the franchise. Due to the long-term failure of Kobe Bryant, the Lakers proclaimed a year of transition and pledged free players mostly with contracts for over a year to act flexibly in the summer of 2014 on the player market. Best-known new players were Chris Kaman Center, who moved from the Dallas Mavericks to Los Angeles and guard Nick Young, who came from Philadelphia. The German national player Elias Harris made it through the NBA Summer League in the squad of the Lakers, but was nevertheless dismissed after a few weeks to make room for more players in the squad. December 2013 Bryant returned back into the team of the Lakers and made his comeback. However, he was injured again after a few games and is expected to be by the end of January 2014.
Current squad
Honors and significant achievements
Others
Transmission rights
From the 2013/14 NBA season Time Warner Cable has acquired the rights to broadcast all games of the pre-season, regular season and the playoffs for 20 years, which are not transmitted nationally in the United States. The contract has a total value of three billion U.S. dollars.
Celtics - Lakers rivalry
Exists between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics since the founding of the League a strong rivalry that had its high points in the 1960s and 80s. Both teams met twelve times in the NBA Finals, the Celtics won it nine times. The skin color of the stars of the teams played an important role. While the stars of the Lakers mostly of players with African- American origin existed (Johnson, Abdul- Jabbar, Worthy, Baylor, Chamberlain or Scott), the stars of the Celtics sat mostly of players with European origin together (Bird, Cowens, McHale, Havlicek or Heinsohn ).