Most Retired Jersey Numbers in NBA

Lore & Background

The franchise began in 1946 as the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). After one season, a new owner moved the team to Minneapolis and renamed it the Minneapolis Lakers. The Lakers won the 1948 NBL championship before joining the rival Basketball Association of America, where they won the 1949 BAA championship. After the merger of the NBL and the BAA into the NBA in 1949, the Lakers won four of the next five NBA championships. After struggling financially in the late 1950s, they moved to Los Angeles before the 1960–61 season.

Reader's Guide

The Lakers made the NBA Finals six times in the 1960s, but lost every series to the Celtics. In 1968, the Lakers acquired Wilt Chamberlain, and won their sixth NBA title in 1972. After Chamberlain retired, the team traded for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In 1979, Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers and the team drafted Magic Johnson. With Pat Riley as head coach and James Worthy added, the Lakers won five championships in nine years. In 1996, the Lakers traded for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant and signed Shaquille O'Neal, leading to three consecutive championships between 2000 and 2002. After trading O'Neal, the Lakers returned to the Finals after trading for Pau Gasol, winning championships in 2009 and 2010. After LeBron James signed in 2018 and Anthony Davis was acquired in 2019, the team won its 17th championship in 2020. In February 2025, the team traded Davis to acquire Luka Dončić.

Did You Know?

• The Lakers hold the record for 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.