
During this time, the team also participated in the lowest-scoring game in NBA history on November 22, 1950, the Lakers fell to the Fort Wayne Pistons by a score of 19–18. In addition to Mikan and Mikkelsen, the Lakers teams of these years also featured future Hall of Famers in Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, and Clyde Lovellette.

Nevertheless, they rebounded from that defeat to capture the title for the next three consecutive years, thus becoming the NBA's first " dynasty", having won five BAA/NBA championships in six years. The Lakers' two-year streak of championships came to an end in 1951, when they lost to the Rochester Royals in the NBA Western Division Finals.

The next year saw the absorbing of the defunct NBL by the BAA, to form today's NBA, and the Lakers won the championship on the backs of Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, and future National Football League coach Bud Grant. This makes the Lakers the most successful expansion team in NBA history, since the NBA does not recognize NBL records and considers the Lakers to be a 1948 expansion team. As the BAA is considered the direct lineal ancestor of today's NBA, this 1949 BAA championship is recognized today as an official NBA championship for the Lakers, whereas their 1948 NBL championship is not. The next year, the Lakers switched to the 12-team Basketball Association of America (BAA) and proceeded to win the championship in that season. The 1949–50 NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers With Mikan, new coach John Kundla and an infusion of former University of Minnesota players to replace those lost prior to the relocation, the Lakers won the NBL championship in their first season.
#Wilt chamberlain hows the weather up there professional
Winter also took an ownership stake in the team, which he would maintain until he left the Lakers in 1955.Īs the Gems had recorded by far the worst record in the NBL, the Lakers had the first pick in the 1947 Professional Basketball League of America dispersal draft, which they used to select George Mikan, later to become one of the greatest centers of his time. Berger and Chalfen brought in Max Winter, later to become a founder and owner of the National Football League's Minnesota Vikings, to become the Lakers' new general manager. The franchise was re-christened the "Lakers" in reference to Minnesota's nickname, "The Land of 10,000 Lakes". The "team" that Berger and Chalfen had actually purchased consisted only of equipment since the team had appeared to be on the verge of folding, all of its players had already been assigned to other NBL teams. īerger and Chalfen relocated the team to Minneapolis, with home games being played at both the Minneapolis Auditorium and the Minneapolis Armory. They hired John Kundla as their first head coach. King Boring, and his business partner Maury Winston. The Lakers franchise began in 1947 when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen of Minnesota purchased the recently disbanded Detroit Gems franchise of the National Basketball League (NBL) for $15,000 from Gems founder/owner C. He is described by the NBA's official website as the "first superstar" in league history. Hall of Famer George Mikan (#99) led the Lakers franchise to their first five NBA championships. Their team has had many NBA legends, including George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Clyde Lovellette, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James. They are tied in NBA championships with the Boston Celtics, winning 17 NBA titles and making far more finals appearances than their biggest rival (15 vs 4 in being runner up), effectively making them the most successful to date. As of summer 2012, the Lakers hold the all-time records for wins (3,125), winning percentage (.620), and NBA Finals appearances (32).

The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, predating the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA).įounded in 1947, the Lakers are one of the NBA's most famous and successful franchises. ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) ( December 2016) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia.
