Table of Contents COURTSIDE STORIES INTRODUCING Table of Contents LAND OF 10,000 LAKERS 8 GO WEST 16 IT’S SHOWTIME 22 REBUILDING THE LAKERS 30 A NEW DYNASTY 38 INDEX 48 COURTSIDE STORIES SIGNED BY A SPORTSWRITER 11 STREAKING TO THE TITLE 21 LAKERS LANGUAGE 24 CENTERS OF ATTENTION 26 THE FABULOUS FORUM 32 FAMOUS FANS 44 INTRODUCING GEORGE MIKAN 12 JERRY WEST 15 ELGIN BAYLOR 19 MAGIC JOHNSON 29 SHAQUILLE O’NEAL 35 KOBE BRYANT 41
LAND OF 10,000 LAKERS GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY OFFERS VIEWS OF LOS ANGELES’S SPRAWLING CITYSCAPE LAND OF 10,000 LAKERS 8
Los Angeles California is known as the Entertainment Capital of the World In the early 20th century a section of the city called Hollywood became the center of the motion picture industry and it continues to be the place where the majority of movies and TV shows are made Many of the celebrities who live and work there have been honored with shimmering stars laid in the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard Sports are an important part of L A s entertainment culture too and the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association NBA have always known how to put on a good show The Lakers moved to California in 1960 13 years after the team was formed more than 1,500 miles away in Minneapolis Minnesota Two Minnesota businessmen purchased the assets of the Detroit Gems a struggling National Basketball League NBL team for 15,000 in JERRY WEST 9
