Meet the Lakers M ost basketball fans expect their favorite team to go to go through ups and downs Some years are good and aanndd some years aren’t That simply won’t do for fans of the Los s Angeles Lakers They have come to expect teams loaded with talent and coaches who know how to win This tradition began in the 1940s when the Lakers played in an entirely different part of the United States In the 1960s they moved west to California Ever since that day the National Basketball Association NBA has truly been national This book tells the story of the Lakers They are known as a glamorous team but don’t let that fool you Los Angeles wins with talent teamwork focus and energy Of course the he Lakers can’t help but crack a few smiles along the way That’s hat’s why it’s so much fun to root for them Kobe Bryant flips a pass to Pau Gasol The Lakers are at their best when they combine talent teamwork and energy 5
Glory Days D id you ever stop and wonder how the Lakers got their d name The team’s story actually began in Minneapolis Minnesota The state is known as the land of 10,000 lakes and the cargo ships that work Lake Superior are sometimes called lakers h h d d h k The Lakers joined the National Basketball League NBL in 1947 They were led by coach John Kundla and forward Jim Pollard Two weeks into their first season the Lakers added George Mikan a hulking center known to every basketball fan in America Mikan wore thick glasses that made him look like Clark Kent But he played like Superman Mikan and Pollard led the Lakers to the NBL championship that spring For the 1948 49 season the Lakers moved to the Basketball Association of America BAA The BAA played in large cities and 6
was a rival of the NBL which had teams in smaller towns The Lakers promptly won the BAA championship The following season the NBL and BAA joined forces to become the NBA Once again the Lakers won the championship The Lakers put together an unbeatable lineup Kundla stressed unselfish play and Minneapolis became known for its teamwork on offense and defense Mikan and Pollard shared the front line with Vern Mikkelsen Slater Martin ran the offense from the backcourt From 1947 48 to 1953 54 the Lakers won a championship in every season but one Amazingly it would take almost 20 years for the Lakers to win another championship By then the team had moved west to Los Angeles The Lakers long drought was not for lack of talent During the 1960s they had two game-changing superstars Elgin Baylor and LEFT George Mikan towers over defenders on the cover of this 1948 Sport Magazine ABOVE Jim Pollard scores an easy basket against the New York Knicks 7
