Most Playoff Appearances in NBA History

Lore & Background

The franchise began in 1946 as the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). After one season, the team moved to Minneapolis and was renamed the Minneapolis Lakers. The Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship and later the 1949 BAA championship. After the NBL and BAA merged into the NBA in 1949, the Lakers won four of the next five NBA championships.

They moved to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season. The Lakers made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s but lost each series to the Celtics. In 1972, led by Wilt Chamberlain and coach Bill Sharman, they won their sixth NBA title. After drafting Magic Johnson in 1979 and adding James Worthy, the franchise won five championships in nine years in the 1980s.

In the 2000s, the duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, coached by Phil Jackson, led the Lakers to three consecutive championships (2000–2002). After trading for Pau Gasol, the Lakers won championships in 2009 and 2010. In 2020, led by LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and coach Frank Vogel, the team won its 17th championship, tying the Celtics for the most titles until 2024.

Reader's Guide

The Lakers play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, which they share with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL. The Lakers hold the record for the NBA's longest winning streak, 33 straight games, set in 1971–72. 26 Hall of Famers have played for Los Angeles, while four have coached the team. Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, O'Neal, and Bryant won a combined eight NBA MVP awards with the Lakers.