They came to be known as the Minneapolis Lakers and when they moved yet again to LA, they retained that nickname.

Home Arenas

The Lakers have played in a number of arenas in Minneapolis and LA. They played at the Minneapolis Auditorium from 1947 to 1959. The next year they played at the Minneapolis Armory, where they had played occasional games during the earlier years. They moved to LA in 1960 and made the LA Memorial Sports Arena their home arena. From 1967 till 1999, they played at The Forum after which they moved to the Staples Center where they play their home games till date. They share the Staples Center with the LA Clippers and the LA Kings of the NHL among others.

A Winning Team All The Way

From their Minneapolis days, the Lakers were a very dominant team. They won five NBA Championships in 6 years between 1949 and 1954. The team included Slater Martin, Jim Pollard, Clyde Lovelette and Vern Mikkelsen all of whom made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame. When they moved to LA, they lost the championship six times to the Boston Celtics. It was only in 1972, under Coach Bill Sharman that the Lakers won their first NBA Championship in LA.

Their next NBA title came in 1979 after Magic Johnson joined the team. In the 1980’s the Lakers were a dominant team, winning five NBA Championships in that decade. They also have the distinction of being the second NBA team to win it in two consecutive years, 1987 and 1988. The first team to do so was the Boston Celtics in 1969.

They had a few lean seasons in the 1990’s till Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant were acquired in 1996. Following the hiring of Head Coach Phil Jackson in 1999, the team became champions once again. With O’Neal and Bryant in the team, the Lakers won the NBA Championships three years in a row from 2000 to 2002. O’Neal was acquired by Miami Heat in 2004 and Jackson retired but returned after one losing season. The team is looking up again with Bryant in the driver’s seat.

The Lakers have been a very successful team winning twenty-six Division titles, twenty-eight Conference titles and fourteen NBA Championships. With a line up of players like Kobe Bryant, Maurice Evans, Lamar Odom and Brian Cook, the Lakers are looking to become a winning team once again.