Los Angeles Lakers 2022-23 Season at Crypto.com Arena
The Crypto.com Arena has been the home of the Lakers since construction completed in 1999. Located adjacent to the L.A. LIVE entertainment district and next to the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Crypto.com Arena is in the heart of one of Los Angeles' most popular areas. The area has restaurants, bars and entertainment, giving Lakers fans plenty of ways to enjoy a game night.
The Lakers share the Crypto.com Arena with three other professional franchises -- fellow NBA team LA Clippers, the Los Angeles Kings® of the NHL®, and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA.
Los Angeles Lakers Team Info
Conference: Western
Division: Pacific
Year Founded: 1947
Team Colors: Purple, Gold, Black
Los Angeles Lakers History
The Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. They boast 19 conference titles, 33 division titles and 17 NBA Championships.
The Lakers franchise started in 1947 as the Minneapolis Lakers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and predated the official founding of the NBA. At the time, the Lakers were a member of the National Basketball League (NBL). They moved to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to the 1948-49 season. After that season, the NBL and BAA merged to form the NBA. The Lakers dominated the newly formed NBA, winning five of the first six NBA Championships.
Two big decisions in 1960 altered the future of the franchise. First, they selected Jerry West with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Then, the franchise moved to Los Angeles in the same offseason, becoming the NBA's first team on the West Coast. After several trips to the NBA Finals and trading for Wilt Chamberlain, the Lakers won the NBA Championship in 1971-72, a magical season that included a 33-game win streak, still the NBA record for most consecutive wins. West would go on to become a Hall of Famer, and his silhouette is featured as the NBA's logo.
The Lakers' next era of dominance began in 1979, when they selected Earvin "Magic" Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick. Johnson's unrivaled passing ability allowed the Lakers to play with an up-tempo style that became known as "Showtime."
Led by Johnson and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers won the NBA Championship in Johnson's rookie season and won a total of five NBA Championships during the '80s.
The Lakers dominated the league again starting in the 1999-00 season, this time led by the legendary duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. They won three consecutive titles, including a run through the 2000-01 playoffs that saw them lose just one game in four series.
The franchise entered a short rebuilding period after trading O'Neal in 2004, but Bryant led the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances once again, starting in the 2007-08 season. They lost to the Celtics in their first appearance, but responded by winning the next two championships, the second of which came in seven games against the Celtics. Bryant retired in 2016.
In 2019-20, the Lakers made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons, with the top seed in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers ultimately ended up winning the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat in six games for the Lakers' 17th championship.
The Lakers 2021-22 season did not end with a championship, but the team did make it to the playoffs, losing to the eventual Western Conference champions Phoenix Suns. While injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis helped derail the 2021 campaign, the future for the team and the franchise remains bright.
