document_title: Los Angeles Lakers

question_text: how many retired numbers do the lakers have

question_tokens: how many retired numbers do the lakers have

text: Los Angeles Lakers

text: Team history

text: 1947–1958: Beginnings and Minneapolis dynasty

text: The Lakers' franchise began in 1947 when Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen of Minnesota purchased the recently disbanded Detroit Gems[15] of the National Basketball League (NBL) for $15,000 from Gems owner Maury Winston.[16] Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman played a key behind the scenes role in helping put together the deal and later the team.[17] Inspired by Minnesota's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the team christened themselves the Lakers.[11][18] Hartman helped them hire John Kundla from College of St. Thomas, to be their first head coach, by meeting with him and selling him on the team.[19][20]

text: The Lakers had a solid roster, which featured forward Jim Pollard, playmaker Herm Schaefer, and center George Mikan, who became the most dominant player in the NBL.[21] In their first season, they led the league with a 43–17 record, later winning the NBL Championship that season.[22]

text: In 1948, the Lakers moved from the NBL to the Basketball Association of America (BAA), and Mikan's 28.3 point per game (ppg) scoring average set a BAA record. In the 1949 BAA Finals they won the championship, beating the Washington Capitols four games to two.[23] The following season, the team improved to 51–17, repeating as champions.[24] In the 1950–51 season, Mikan won his third straight scoring title at 28.4 ppg and the Lakers went 44–24 to win their second straight division title.[25] One of those games, a 19–18 loss against the Fort Wayne Pistons, became infamous as the lowest scoring game in NBA history.[26] In the playoffs, they defeated the Indianapolis Olympians in three games but lost to the Rochester Royals in the next round.[21]

text: During the 1951–52 season, the Lakers won 40 games, finishing second in their division.[27] They faced the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, which they won in seven games.[28] In the 1952–53 season, Mikan led the NBA in rebounding, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game (rpg), and was named MVP of the 1953 NBA All-Star Game.[25] After a 48–22 regular season, the Lakers defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in the Western playoffs to advance to the NBA Finals.[28] They then defeated the New York Knicks to win their second straight championship.[29] Though Lakers star George Mikan suffered from knee problems throughout the 1953–54 season, he was still able to average 18 ppg.[30] Clyde Lovellette, who was drafted in 1952, helped the team win the Western Division.[30] The team won its third straight championship in the 1950s and fifth in six seasons when it defeated the Syracuse Nationals in seven games.[29]

text: Following Mikan's retirement in the 1954 off-season, the Lakers struggled but still managed to win 40 games. Although they defeated the Rochester Royals in the first round of the playoffs, they were defeated by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the semifinals.[31] Although they had losing records the next two seasons, they made the playoffs each year.[27] Mikan came back for the last half of the 1955–56 season, but struggled and retired for good after the season.[32] Led by Lovellette's 20.6 points and 13.5 rebounds, they advanced to the Conference Finals in 1956–57. The Lakers had one of the worst seasons in team history in 1957–58 when they won a league-low 19 games.[33] They had hired Mikan, who had been the team's general manager for the previous two seasons, as head coach to replace Kundla. Mikan was fired in January when the team was 9–30, and Kundla was rehired.[27][34]

text: The Lakers earned the top pick in the 1958 NBA draft and used it to select Elgin Baylor. Baylor, who was named NBA Rookie of the Year and co-MVP of the 1959 NBA All-Star Game, averaged 24.9 ppg and 15.0 rpg helping the Lakers improve to second in their division despite a 33–39 record.[35] After upsetting the Hawks in six games in the division finals, they returned to the NBA Finals, but were swept by the Celtics, beginning their long rivalry.[36]

text: 1958–1968: Move to Los Angeles and Celtics rivalry

text: In their last year in Minneapolis, the Lakers went 25–50. On January 18, 1960, the team was coming off a loss and traveling to St. Louis when their plane crash-landed.[39] Snow storms had driven the pilot 150 miles off course when he was forced to land in a cornfield. No one was hurt.[40] Their record earned them the number two pick in the 1960 NBA draft. The team selected Jerry West from West Virginia University.[41] During the 1960 off-season, the Lakers became the NBA's first West Coast team when owner Bob Short decided to move the team to Los Angeles.[42] Led by Baylor's 34.8 ppg and 19.8 rpg, Los Angeles won 11 more than the year before in West's first season.[43] On November 15 that season, Baylor set a new NBA scoring record when he scored 71 points in a victory against the New York Knicks while grabbing 25 rebounds.[44] In doing so, Baylor broke his own NBA record of 64 points. Despite a losing record, the Lakers made the playoffs.[27] They came within two points of the NBA Finals when they lost in game seven of their second round series against St. Louis.[45]

text: Led by Baylor and West at 38.3 and 30.8 ppg respectively,[46] the Lakers improved to 54–26 in 1961–62, and made the finals. In a game five victory, Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds and set the still-standing NBA record for points in a finals game with 61,[47] despite fouling out of the game.[48] The Lakers, however, lost to the Celtics by three points in overtime of game seven.[46] Frank Selvy, after making two jumpers in the final 40 seconds to tie the game,[49][50] missed a potential game-winning 18 foot jump shot in regulation, a miss which he said in June 2010 still haunted him more than 40 years later.[50]

text: Los Angeles won 53 games in 1962–63, behind Baylor's 34.0 ppg and West's 27.1 ppg[51] but lost in the NBA Finals in six games to the Celtics.[51] After falling to 42–38 and losing in the first round of the 1964 NBA Playoffs to the Hawks, the team won 49 games in 1964–65. The Lakers surged past the Baltimore Bullets in the division finals, behind West's record-setting 46.3 ppg in the series.[52] They lost again to Celtics in the Finals however, this time in five games.[53]

text: Los Angeles lost in the finals to Boston in seven games again in 1966, this time by two points.[54] Down by 16 entering the fourth quarter, and 10 with a minute and a half to go, the Lakers mounted a furious rally in the closing moments, which fell just short.[55] After dropping to 36 wins and losing in the first round of the 1967 NBA Playoffs, they lost in the finals to the Celtics again in 1968.[27] Los Angeles moved to a brand-new arena, The Forum, in 1967, after playing seven seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.

text: 1968–1973: Wilt arrives

text: On July 9, 1968, the team acquired Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers for Darrell Imhoff, Archie Clark, and Jerry Chambers.[57] In his first season as a Laker, Chamberlain set a team record by averaging a league-leading 21.1 rpg.[58] West, Baylor, and Chamberlain each averaged over 20 points, and Los Angeles won their division.[59] The Lakers and Celtics again met in the finals, and Los Angeles had home court advantage against Boston for the first time in their rivalry. They won the first game behind Jerry West's 53 points,[60] and had a 3–2 lead after five.[61] Boston won the series in seven games however,[62] and earned their 11th NBA Championship in 13 seasons.[63] West was named the first-ever Finals MVP; this remains the only time that a member of the losing team has won the award.[64] In 1970, West won his first scoring title at 31.2 ppg, the team returned to the finals, and for the first time in 16 years, they did not have to face the Celtics; instead playing the New York Knicks, who defeated them 4–3.[65][66] The next season the Lakers were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks, led by future Laker Lew Alcindor (now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the Western Conference Finals.[67]

text: The 1971–72 season brought several changes. Owner Jack Kent Cooke brought in Bill Sharman as head coach,[68] and Elgin Baylor announced his retirement early in the season after realizing that his legs were not healthy enough.[68] Sharman increased the team's discipline.[69] He introduced the concept of the shootaround, where players would arrive at the arena early in the morning before a game to practice shots.[70] They won 14 straight games in November and all 16 games played in December.[68] They won three straight to open the year of 1972 but on January 9, the Milwaukee Bucks ended their winning streak by defeating the Lakers, 120–104.[71] By winning 33 straight games, Los Angeles set a record for longest winning streak of any team in American professional sports.[72] The Lakers won 69 games that season, which stood as the NBA record for 24 years until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1995–96.[73] Chamberlain averaged a low 14.8 points but led the league in rebounding at 19.2 a game.[74] West's 9.7 assists per game (apg) led the league, he also averaged more than 25 points, and was named MVP of the 1972 NBA All-Star Game.[74] The team failed to score 100 points just once all year,[75] and at the end of the season, Bill Sharman was named Coach of the Year.[76] The Lakers went on to reach the finals against the New York Knicks where they would avenge their 1970 finals loss by defeating them 4 games to 1. Chamberlain tallied 24 points and 29 rebounds in game five and won the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.[77][78]

text: The Lakers won 60 games in the 1972–73 NBA season, and took another Pacific Division title.[79] Wilt Chamberlain, playing in his final season, again led the league in rebounding and set the still standing NBA record for field-goal percentage at 72.7%.[79] The team defeated the Chicago Bulls in seven games in the conference semifinals, then the Golden State Warriors in five in the Western Division Finals.[79] They played the New York Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals. Los Angeles took the first game by three points, but New York won the series in five games.[80]

text: 1973–1979: Building "Showtime"

text: During the 1973–74 season, the team was hampered by the loss of West, who played only 31 games before his legs gave out.[81] Goodrich, averaging 25.3 points, helped the team to a late-season surge.[81] Trailing the Golden State Warriors by three games with seven left to play, the Lakers rallied to finish 47–35 and win the Pacific Division.[81] They made the playoffs but managed just one win against Milwaukee in the conference semifinals. Following the season, West retired due to contract disagreements with Cooke, and filed a suit for unpaid back wages.[82]

text: After missing the playoffs in the 1974–75 season, the Lakers acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had won three league MVP's by that time.[83] Abdul-Jabbar wanted out of Milwaukee, demanding a trade to either New York or Los Angeles.[84] He was traded for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers. Abdul-Jabbar had his fourth MVP season in 1975–76, leading the league in rebounding, blocked shots, and minutes played.[85] The Lakers struggled in January, going 3–10, and finished out of the playoffs at 40–42.[85]

text: West and Cooke settled their differences—and the former Laker's lawsuit—and Cooke hired him to replace Sharman as the team's coach.[86] West became upset, however, when Cooke refused to spend the money necessary to acquire forward Julius Erving, who the Nets were selling.[87] Behind another MVP season from Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles won the Pacific Division, finishing the 1976–77 season a league-best 53–29.[88] They defeated the Warriors in a seven-game series to open the postseason before being swept by Portland in the Western Conference Finals.[85] During the offseason, Los Angeles picked up Jamaal Wilkes from Golden State and signed first-round draft pick Norm Nixon. In the first two minutes of the first game of the 1977–78 season, Abdul-Jabbar punched Bucks center Kent Benson for an overly aggressive elbow and broke his hand.[89] Two months later, a healthy Abdul-Jabbar got into an altercation with Houston Rockets center Kevin Kunnert after a rebound. The team's starting power forward, Kermit Washington, who was averaging 11.5 points and 11.2 rebounds,[90] entered the fight, and when Rudy Tomjanovich ran in from the bench to break up the action, Washington punched him in the face.[91] Tomjanovich nearly died from the punch, suffering a fractured skull and other facial injuries, which prematurely ended his playing career.[92] Washington, who stated that he assumed Tomjanovich was a combatant, was suspended for two months by the NBA, and released by the Lakers.[93] The team won 45 games despite being down a starter in Washington and not having Abdul-Jabbar for nearly two months, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle.[94] During the 1978–79 season, the team posted a 47–35 record but lost to the SuperSonics in the semifinal round of the playoffs.[85]

text: 1979–1991: "Showtime"

text: In the 1979 NBA draft, Los Angeles selected 6-foot, 9-inch point guard Magic Johnson from Michigan State with the first overall pick.[95] It took Johnson's teammates time to acclimate themselves to his passing ability, as his "no-look" passes often caught them unaware. Once they adjusted, his passing became a key part of Los Angeles' offense.[96] The Lakers won 60 games in Johnson's rookie year, and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games in the 1980 NBA Finals. Johnson won the Finals MVP award, after starting at center for the injured Abdul-Jabbar in game six, and tallying 42 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists.[97] The team fell off in the 1980–81 season, though, as the Lakers lost Johnson for most of the season to a knee injury.[98] The team turned in a 54–28 record and finished second behind the Phoenix Suns in the Pacific Division.[98] The Rockets, led by Moses Malone, defeated Los Angeles in the first round of the playoffs.[98]

text: Early in the 1981–82 season, Johnson complained to the media about head coach Paul Westhead and demanded a trade.[99] Westhead was fired shortly after Johnson's criticisms, and although Lakers' owner Jerry Buss stated that Johnson's comments did not factor into the decision, Johnson was vilified by the national media and booed both on the road and at home.[100][101][102] Buss promoted assistant coach Pat Riley to "co-head coach" with Jerry West (although West considered himself Riley's assistant) on November 19 and the team won 17 of its next 20 games.[98][103][104] Nicknamed "Showtime" due to the team's new Johnson-led fast break-offense, the Lakers won the Pacific Division title and swept both the Suns and Spurs in the 1982 playoffs.[105] Los Angeles stretched its postseason winning streak to nine games by taking the first contest of the NBA Finals from the 76ers.[98][106] The team won the Finals 4–2 to finish a 12–2 playoff run.[98] On draft night in 1982, the Lakers had the first overall pick (the result of a trade with Cleveland midway through the 1979–80 season, when the Lakers had sent Don Ford and a 1980 first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Butch Lee and their 1982 selection) and selected James Worthy from North Carolina.[107] The Lakers won the Pacific Division at 58–24, but Worthy suffered a leg injury in the last week of the season and missed the rest of the season.[108] Nevertheless, they advanced to play Philadelphia in the 1983 NBA Finals after defeating Portland and San Antonio.[108] The Sixers, however, won the series and the championship in four games.[107] After the season West replaced Sharman as the team's GM.[109]

text: In the 1983–84 season, Los Angeles went 54–28, and played Boston in the Finals for the first time since 1969.[110] The Lakers won two of the first three games. However, Kevin McHale's hard clothesline foul of Lakers forward Kurt Rambis on a fast break is credited as a turning point of the series.[111] Boston won three of the next four to win the title and send Los Angeles's record to 0–8 in Finals series against the Celtics.[110]

text: Using the past year's Finals defeat as motivation, the team won the Pacific Division for the fourth straight year and lost just two games in the Western Conference playoffs. In the NBA Finals, the Celtics were again the Lakers' final hurdle. Los Angeles lost game one of the NBA Finals by a score of 148–114, in what is remembered as the "Memorial Day Massacre".[112] The Lakers, behind 38-year-old Finals MVP Abdul-Jabbar, recovered to defeat the Celtics in six games.[113] The team won the title in the Boston Garden, becoming the only visiting team to ever win an NBA championship there.[112]

text: In the 1985–86 season, the Lakers started 24–3 and went on to win 62 games and their fifth straight division title.[115] The Rockets, however, defeated the Lakers in five games in the Western Conference Finals. Houston won the series when Ralph Sampson hit a 20-foot jumper as time expired in game five at The Forum.[115]

text: Prior to the 1986–87 season, the Lakers moved A. C. Green into the starting lineup, and acquired Mychal Thompson from the Spurs.[116] Johnson won his first career MVP Award while leading the Lakers to a 65–17 record,[116] and Michael Cooper was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.[116] Before the season, Riley had made the decision to shift the focus of the offense to Johnson over the 40-year-old Abdul-Jabbar.[117] The Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals by sweeping the Nuggets, defeating the Warriors in five games, and sweeping the SuperSonics in the Western Conference Finals.[118] The Lakers defeated Boston in the first two games of the Finals, and the teams split the next four games, giving Los Angeles their second championship in three seasons.[116] The series was highlighted by Johnson's running "baby hook" shot to win game four at Boston Garden with two seconds remaining.[119] Johnson was named the NBA Finals MVP, in addition to regular-season MVP.[120] At the Lakers' championship celebration in Los Angeles, coach Riley brashly declared that Los Angeles would repeat as NBA champions,[116] which no team had done since the 1968–69 Boston Celtics.

text: Looking to make good on Riley's promise in the 1987–88 season, the Lakers took their seventh consecutive Pacific Division title with a 62–20 record. They swept the Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference Finals before pulling out a tough seven-game series win over the Utah Jazz led by youngsters Karl Malone and John Stockton. A seven-game Western Conference finals win over the Dallas Mavericks propelled the Lakers to the NBA Finals once again. In their seventh trip to the Finals in nine years, they met the Detroit Pistons. Los Angeles would take the series in seven games, and James Worthy's game seven triple-double earned him a Finals MVP award.[121] The win marked their fifth title in nine years, but would also mark their last title until 2000.

text: In the 1988–89 season, Los Angeles won 57 games and their eighth consecutive Pacific Division crown. They swept the through the playoffs defeating Portland, Seattle, and Phoenix. In eighth trip to the NBA Finals in 10 years, they once again faced the Detroit Pistons.[122] Hampered by injuries to Byron Scott and Johnson, the Lakers were swept by Detroit.[123]

text: Following the 1989 Finals, on June 28, 1989, after 20 professional seasons, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. The Lakers still cruised through the Pacific Division, winning their ninth consecutive division crown with a 63–19 record. However, after beating the Rockets in the first round, they lost four games to one in the second round of the playoffs to the Suns.[124] Riley announced he was stepping down after the season citing burnout,[125] and was replaced by Mike Dunleavy.[126] Riley's departure received a mixed reaction from the players. They respected his contributions, but some, such as Worthy and Scott, had grown tired of his intense practices and felt he tried to take too much credit for the team's successes.[127] Following the season, 1987 Defensive Player of the Year winner Michael Cooper decided to play in Europe and was waived at his request.[128]

text: The 1990–91 Lakers failed to win the Pacific Division for the first time in 10 years, but still finished with a 58–24 record. After cruising through the Western Conference playoffs, the Lakers found themselves in the NBA Finals once again, their ninth trip to the Finals in 12 years. The 1991 Finals represented a changing of the guard as the Lakers were defeated in five games by the Chicago Bulls, led by superstar Michael Jordan.[129]

text: 1991–1996: Post-"Showtime" dry spell

text: On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and would retire immediately.[130]

text: In their first season without Johnson, the team won 43 games to earn the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.[27] The Lakers were defeated in the first round by Portland. Following the season, head coach Mike Dunleavy was fired.

text: The Lakers would lose 43 games in 1992–93 under Randy Pfund, their first losing season since 1976. The Lakers would still make the playoffs, and would become the first eighth seed to win the opening two games on the road against a number one seed when they took a 2–0 lead against Phoenix.[131] They lost the next two games at home however, then game five in Phoenix in overtime.[131] During the 1993–94 season, Pfund was fired during the season that would result in the Lakers failing to make the playoffs for the first time since 1976. Magic Johnson, would coach the final 16 games of the season with former teammate Michael Cooper as his lead assistant.[132] Johnson decided not to take the job permanently due to what he felt was a lack of commitment from certain players, and Los Angeles ended the season with a 10-game losing streak to finish 33–49.[133][134]

text: Under new coach Del Harris, Los Angeles made the playoffs each of the next two seasons, but was eliminated in the second and first rounds respectively.[135][136] The team was led by young guards Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones.[137] Johnson came out of retirement to return as a player in the 1995–96 season to lead the then 24–18 Lakers to a 29–11 finish.[138] After some run-ins with Van Exel, displeasure with Harris's strategies, and a first round loss to the Rockets, Johnson decided to retire for the final time after the season.[139]

text: 1996–2016: The Kobe Bryant era

text: 1996–2004: O'Neal and Bryant dynasty

text: During the 1996 off-season, the Lakers acquired 17-year-old Kobe Bryant from the Charlotte Hornets for Vlade Divac; Bryant was drafted 13th overall out of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania in that year's draft, by Charlotte. Los Angeles also signed free-agent Shaquille O'Neal.[140] Trading for Bryant was West's idea, and he was influential in the team's signing of the all-star center.[141] "Jerry West is the reason I came to the Lakers", O'Neal later said.[142] They used their 24th pick in the 1996 draft to select Derek Fisher.[143] During the season, the team traded Cedric Ceballos to Phoenix for Robert Horry.[144] O'Neal led the team to a 56–26 record, their best effort since 1990–91, despite missing 31 games due to a knee injury.[145] O'Neal averaged 26.2 ppg and 12.5 rpg and finished third in the league in blocked shots (2.88 bpg) in 51 games.[145][146] The Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs as O'Neal scored 46 points in Game 1 against the Trail Blazers, marking the highest single-game playoff scoring output by a Laker since Jerry West scored 53 against the Celtics in 1969.[145] In the next round, the Lakers lost in five games to the Utah Jazz.[145]

text: In the 1997–98 season, O'Neal and the Lakers had the best start in franchise history, 11–0.[147] O'Neal would miss 20 games on the season due to an abdominal injury.[147] Los Angeles battled Seattle for the Pacific Division title most of the season. In the final two months, the Lakers won 22 of their final 25 games,[147] finishing 61–21, but still finished second to Seattle in the standings.[147] The Lakers defeated Portland three games to one in the first roundto advance to face Seattle. Although the Sonics won the first game, the Lakers responded with four straight wins, taking the series,[147] but were swept by the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.[147]

text: During the 1998–99 season, All-Star guard Eddie Jones and center Elden Campbell were traded to the Charlotte Hornets.[148] The team also acquired J. R. Reid, B. J. Armstrong, and Glen Rice.[149] Head coach Del Harris was fired in February after a three-game losing streak and replaced on an interim basis by former Laker Kurt Rambis.[150] The team finished 31–19 in the strike-shortened season, which was fourth in the Western Conference.[151] The Lakers defeated Houston in the first round of the playoffs, but were swept by San Antonio in the next round. Game four of the series would be the last game ever played at the Great Western Forum.[152]

text: Before the 1999–2000 season, West was prepared to hire Rambis as the team's full-time coach before an outcry from fans and members of the organization caused him to seek out a bigger name.[153] Los Angeles hired former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson, who had coached that team to six championships, and gave him a lucrative $6 million a year contract.[154] He brought along assistant Tex Winter and they installed Winter's version of the triangle offense.[155] The Lakers signed veterans Brian Shaw, John Salley, Ron Harper, and A. C. Green, who was a Laker during the "Showtime" era.[144] The team also moved to a new arena, the Staples Center.[156]

text: Led by league MVP O'Neal, the Lakers won 31 of their first 36 games.[157] They finished 67–15, the highest win total since they won 65 in the 1986–87 season.[157] The eliminated Sacramento and Phoenix in the first two rounds of the playoffs.[158] After the Lakers took a three games to one lead in the Western Conference Finals against Portland, the Trail Blazers won the next two games to force a game seven.[159] The Lakers, who trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter, would go on 19–4 run to tie the game and eventually win 89–84 to advance to the NBA Finals.[159] In their first trip to the Finals since 1991, the Lakers defeated Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers four games to two win their first title since 1988.[160] West retired from his spot in the team's front office after the season after a power struggle between him and Jackson over control of the team's operations.[161] After the season, starters Rice and Green left the team,[162] and Los Angeles signed Horace Grant.[163]

text: The following season, the Lakers won 11 fewer regular season games than the prior year,[164] but swept the first three rounds of the playoffs, defeating the Portland, Sacramento, and San Antonio.[165] They met Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Finals. Although the Sixers took game one in overtime,[166] the Lakers won the next four games to win their second straight title. Their 15–1 postseason record was the best in NBA history[167]

text: The Lakers won 58 games in 2001–02. In the playoffs, they swept Portland and defeated San Antonio four games to one to advance to the Western Conference Finals to face Sacramento.[170] The series would go on to be known as one of the greatest playoff matchups in NBA history. The series extended to all seven games, and ended in a Lakers victory.[171] In game one, Bryant scored 30 points as the Lakers won, 106–99. The series would then shift in Sacramento's favor, with the Kings winning the next two games. Facing a deficit in game 4, the Lakers had the ball with under 20 seconds to play. After misses by both Bryant and O'Neal, Kings center Vlade Divac tapped the ball away from the rim in an attempt to wind down the clock. It went straight into Robert Horry's hands, who drained a game-winning three with under three seconds to play. After the Kings won game five on a buzzer beater by Mike Bibby, the Lakers were faced with a must-win game six. In one of the most controversial playoff games in league history (Tim Donaghy scandal), the Lakers would win by four points.[172] The Lakers went on to win game seven in overtime, with the Kings missing numerous potentially game-saving shots and free throws. The Lakers then achieved a three-peat by sweeping Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals.[173] O'Neal won each of the Finals series' MVP awards, making him the only player besides Michael Jordan to win three consecutive Finals MVPs.[174]

text: The Lakers would attempt a four-peat the following year, but started the 2002–03 season 11–19.[175] However, they finished the season 39–13 to finish 50–32.[176] They defeated Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs, but the four-peat attempt ended as they were eliminated by San Antonio in six games in the second round.[177]

text: During the 2003–04 season, the team was the subject of intense media coverage generated by the teaming of four stars and the sexual-assault case involving Kobe Bryant.[178][179] Before the season, the Lakers signed two-time MVP Karl Malone formerly of the Jazz, and former Seattle Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton to join O'Neal and Bryant.[180] Three of the "big four", however, struggled with injuries: O'Neal suffered from a strained calf, Malone an injured knee, and Bryant an injured shoulder.[181][182] The Lakers started 18–3 and finished 56–26 and won the Pacific Division title, entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed. They defeated Houston, San Antonio, and Minnesota to advance to the NBA Finals.[183] In the Finals, they would lose to Detroit in five games.

text: 2004–2007: Rebuilding

text: During the 2004 offseason, the team entered a rebuilding phase when O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, and a first-round draft pick.[184] Bryant and O'Neal had clashed in the past,[185] and the media credited their feud as one of the motivating factors for the trade.[186] Jackson did not return as head coach, and wrote a book about the team's 2003–04 season, in which he heavily criticized Bryant and called him "uncoachable".[187][188][189] The Lakers front office said that the book contained "several inaccuracies".[190]

text: The Lakers also traded Rick Fox and Gary Payton to Boston, for Chris Mihm, Marcus Banks, and Chucky Atkins before the 2004–05 season.[191] Derek Fisher, frustrated with losing playing time, opted out of his contract and signed with the Warriors.[191] The team hired Rudy Tomjanovich to replace Jackson.[191] After sitting out the first half of the 2004–05 season, Malone announced his retirement on February 13, 2005.[192] Tomjanovich coached the team to a 22–19 record before resigning due to health problems.[193] Assistant Frank Hamblen was named interim head coach to replace Tomjanovich for the remainder of the season.[194] Bryant (ankle) and Odom (shoulder) suffered injuries, and the Lakers finished 34–48, missing the playoffs for only the fifth time in franchise history and the first time since 1995.[27]

text: With the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft, the Lakers selected Andrew Bynum, a center from St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey.[195] The team also traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins to Washington for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit.[196] Jackson returned to coach the team after Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through the previous season.[197] On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto, the second-highest total in NBA history.[198] Ending the season 45–37, the team made the playoffs after a one-season absence.[199] After taking a three games to one lead in the first round, Phoenix came back to take the series in seven games.[200]

text: In the following season, the Lakers won 26 of their first 39 games,[201] but lost 27 of their last 43—including seven in a row at one point—to finish 42–40.[201] They were eliminated in the first round by Phoenix again.[201] Frustrated by the team's inability to advance in the playoffs, Bryant demanded to be traded in the offseason.[202] Buss initially agreed to seek a trade,[203] but also worked to try to change Bryant's mind.[204]

text: 2007–2011: Return to championship form

text: After re-acquiring Derek Fisher, the Lakers started the 2007–08 season with a 25–11 record, before Andrew Bynum, their center who was leading the league in field-goal percentage, went out for the year due to a knee injury in mid-January.[205] They acquired power forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade in early February and went 22–5 to finish the season.[206] The Lakers' 57–25 record earned them the first seed in the Western Conference.[207] Bryant was awarded the league's MVP award, becoming the first Laker to win the award since O'Neal in 2000.[208][209] In the playoffs, they defeated the Nuggets in four games, the Jazz in six, and the defending champion Spurs in five, but lost to the Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals.[210]

text: In the 2008–09 season, the Lakers finished 65–17; the best record in the Western Conference.[211] They defeated the Jazz in five games, the Rockets in seven and the Nuggets in six, to win the Western Conference title. They then won their 15th NBA championship by defeating the Orlando Magic in five games in the NBA finals.[212] Bryant was named the NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career.[213]

text: The Lakers, who had added Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace [214]) in place of Trevor Ariza in their starting lineup, finished the 2009–10 season with the best record in the Western Conference for the third straight time. On January 13, 2010, the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to win 3,000 regular season games by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 100–95.[215] They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Utah Jazz, and the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference playoffs. In the finals, the Lakers played the Boston Celtics for the 12th time. They rallied back from a 3–2 disadvantage in the series and erased a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter of the seventh game to defeat the Celtics. This series win gave them their 16th NBA title overall and 11th since they moved to Los Angeles.[216] Bryant was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row, despite a 6–24 shooting performance in game seven.[217]

text: After much speculation, head coach Phil Jackson returned for the 2010–11 season.[218] In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Hornets in the first round.[219] But their opportunity for a three-peat was denied by the Dallas Mavericks in a four-game sweep of the second round. After the season, it was announced that Jackson will not be returning to coach the Lakers.[220]

text: 2011–2016: Post-Jackson era

text: After Jackson's retirement, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown was hired as head coach on May 25, 2011.[221] Before the start of the shortened 2011–12 season, the Lakers traded Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks after Odom requested to be traded.[222] On the trade deadline long time Laker Derek Fisher along with a first round draft pick were traded to the Houston Rockets for Jordan Hill.[223] With a 41–25 regular season record the Lakers entered the playoffs as the third seed, the team defeated the Denver Nuggets in the first round in seven games but were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round in five games.[224][225]

text: On July 4, 2012, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that would send him to the Lakers in exchange for the Lakers' 2013 and 2015 first round draft picks, 2013 and 2014 second round draft picks, and $3 million. The trade was made official on July 11, 2012, the first day the trade moratorium was lifted.[226] On August 10, 2012, in a four-team trade the Lakers traded Andrew Bynum and acquired Dwight Howard.[227] On November 9, 2012, Mike Brown was relieved of coaching duties after a 1–4 start to the 2012–13 season.[228] Assistant Coach Bernie Bickerstaff took over as interim head coach, leading the Lakers to a 5–5 record. On November 12, 2012, the Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni as head coach.[229] On February 18, 2013, Lakers owner Jerry Buss died from cancer at age 80.[230] On the court, D'Antoni coached the Lakers to a 40–32 record the rest of the way to finish 45–37, their worst record since 2007. The Lakers clinched a playoff berth on the final game of the season and finished seventh in the Western Conference after beating the Houston Rockets on April 16, 2013.[231][232] The Lakers battled injuries all season, the most prominent of which is the Achilles tendon rupture to Kobe Bryant that ended his season after 78 games. The absence of Bryant was sorely felt as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs.[233] Nevertheless, Bryant passed Lakers legend Wilt Chamberlain to become the fourth all-time leading scorer in NBA history on March 30, 2013, against the Sacramento Kings.[234]

text: On March 25, 2014, the Lakers scored 51 points in the third quarter against the New York Knicks, the most points scored in a quarter in the history of the franchise.[235] The Lakers went on to miss the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2005, for just the second time in the last two decades and for just the sixth time in franchise history. On April 30, 2014, Mike D'Antoni resigned from his position as head coach after a 27–55 season.[236]

text: After spending the majority of the off-season without a head coach, the Lakers named former player Byron Scott as the new head coach.[237] After the season, he was the frontrunner to become the new Lakers head coach. Scott interviewed three times for the position, which had become vacant after Mike D'Antoni's resignation.[238] On July 28, 2014, he signed a multi-year contract to coach the Lakers.[239]

text: During the first game of the 2014–15 season, the 7th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Julius Randle went down with a broken leg, which ended his rookie season. The Lakers began their season losing 10 of their first 16 games. After playing only 35 games, Kobe Bryant tore a rotator cuff in his shoulder ending his season. Nick Young was also forced to end his season with a fractured kneecap, leaving the team with a record of 14–41.[240] With 27 games left in the regular season, Byron Scott gave rookie Jordan Clarkson more playing time. Clarkson, the 46th overall pick in the 2014 draft, finished his rookie season with game stats of 11.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.5 apg, and shooting 44.8% from the field.[241] The Lakers' season ended with a record of 21–61, the 4th worst record in the league and at the time the worst record in franchise history.

text: The next season, the Lakers had the second overall pick of the 2015 NBA draft, which they used to select Ohio State freshman point guard D'Angelo Russell.[242] On November 30, 2015, Bryant announced he would retire at the end of the season after 20 seasons with the team.[243] In Bryant's last season the team missed the playoffs for the third straight year with a 17–65 record, the worst in franchise history.[244]

text: 2016–present: Post-Bryant era

text: On April 24, 2016, the Lakers announced that they will not to exercise their option on Byron Scott's contract for the following season.[245] On April 29, the Lakers announced another former Laker, Luke Walton, as their new head coach. At the time of his hiring, Walton was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors, who were in the playoffs, so Walton could not officially begin his duties as head coach until the Warriors playoff run was over.[246] The Lakers earned the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft,[247] and selected Brandon Ingram from Duke University.[248]

text: On February 21, 2017, the Lakers fired general manager Mitch Kupchak, while Magic Johnson was named as the president of basketball operations. The team's governor Jeanie Buss, also announced the removal of her brother, Jim Buss, from his position as executive vice president of basketball operations.[249][250] On March 7, 2017, the Lakers hired Rob Pelinka as the general manager, signing him to a five-year deal.[251] The Lakers again earned the second overall pick, this time, in the 2017 NBA draft,[252] and selected Lonzo Ball from UCLA.[253] The Lakers also acquired Kyle Kuzma from the University of Utah with the 27th overall pick from a draft-day trade, along with Brook Lopez in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.[254] The Lakers also traded their 28th overall pick, Tony Bradley in exchange for the 30th overall pick, Josh Hart from Villanova University and the 42nd overall pick, Thomas Bryant from Indiana University.[255]

text: On July 9, 2018, the Lakers signed LeBron James to a four-year, $154 million contract.[256][257]

text: Rivalries

text: Boston Celtics

text: The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Lakers involves the two most storied basketball franchises in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. It has been called the best rivalry in the NBA.[258] The two teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first Finals meeting in 1959. They would go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and the 1980s, facing each other six times in the 1960s and three times in the 1980s.

text: The rivalry had been less intense since the retirements of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the early 1990s, but in 2008 it was renewed as the Celtics and Lakers met in the Finals for the first time since 1987, with the Celtics winning the series 4–2. They faced off once again in the 2010 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won in 7 games.

text: The two teams have won the two highest numbers of championships, the Celtics 17, the Lakers 16; together, the 33 championships account for almost half of the 67 championships in NBA history.

text: Detroit Pistons

text: This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2018)

text: Los Angeles Clippers

text: The rivalry between the Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers is unique because they are the only two NBA teams to share an arena, the Staples Center. It is also one of only two intra-city rivalries in the NBA, the other being the new crosstown rivalry between the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

text: Los Angeles fans have historically favored the Lakers.[259][260] Some contend that the term rivalry is inaccurate until the Clippers become more successful.[261] However, with the addition of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to the Clippers' roster and their emergence as playoff contenders, the rivalry has started to develop in earnest, with a recent matchup[when?] between the teams garnering ESPN its highest ratings ever for a regular season broadcast in Los Angeles.[262]

text: San Antonio Spurs

text: The San Antonio Spurs and the Lakers, developed what some would classify as a rivalry in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since 1999, the teams have met in the NBA Playoffs five times, with the clubs combining to appear in seven consecutive NBA Finals (1999–2005). Additionally, the teams combined to win five NBA championships from 1999 to 2003. The Spurs won the NBA championship in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 while the Lakers won the championship in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010. From 1999 to 2004 the clubs' rivalry was often considered the premier rivalry in the NBA,[263] and each time the clubs faced each other in the playoffs the winner advanced to the NBA Finals. In 2008 the teams met again in the Western Conference Finals where the Spurs were handily defeated only to beat LA when they met again in 2013 (though against a Lakers team without an injured Kobe Bryant).

text: Ownerships, financial history, and fanbase

text: Berger and Chalfen purchased the NBL's disbanded Detroit Gems for $15,000 in 1947, changed their name to the Lakers and relocated them to Minnesota. Max Winter bought a third of the club in their early years, and sold his share to Mikan in 1954. Berger bought Mikan's share in 1956 giving him a controlling (⅔) interest.[264] After Mikan retired, attendance plummeted and the team lost money for several seasons, leading the ownership group to put the team up for sale in 1957.[265] Marty Marion, a retired baseball player and manager, and his business partner Milton Fischman attempted to purchase the team with the intention of moving the club to Kansas City, Missouri.[265][266] Mikan offered to mortgage his home in an attempt to buy the team and keep the club in Minnesota.[267] The Lakers were sold to a group of investors led by Bob Short however.[264] The team was sold to Short's group with the agreement that it would not be relocated to Kansas City but kept in Minnesota.[268] Short's ownership group consisted of 117 Minnesota businesses and private citizens, who amassed a total of $200,000 for the purchase; $150,000 to buy the team and $50,000 to run it.[264] By 1958 Short had become 80% owner of the team by buying out his partners,[264] but the team was floundering. Attendance remained poor, and the NBA had put the Lakers on "financial probation", notifying them that if they did not meet certain ticket sales numbers they could be bought out by the league and relocated. Short was forced to move the team to Los Angeles in 1960; the club had lost $60,000 in the first half of the 1959–60 season alone.[269] The NBA's owners originally voted 7–1 against the move.[270] When Short indicated that he might take the team to new rival league that was developing however, the owners held another vote that same day and allowed the relocation (8–0).[271] Aided by Baylor's drawing power,[272][273] and the new locale, the team's finances improved when they arrived in LA.[274][275] Short sold the team to Washington Redskins owner and publisher Jack Kent Cooke in 1965 for a then league record amount of $5,175,000.[276] Short insisted the deal be conducted in cash as he was wary of Cooke, so guards transported the money in a cart from one New York bank to another.[277]

text: Cooke was a more hands-on owner than Short, and overhauled the team's operations.[278] He personally financed construction of the Forum in 1967 at a cost of $16.5 million.[279][280] He owned the team until 1979 when he sold it, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, the Forum, and some real estate to Jerry Buss for $67 million.[281] Cooke was forced to sell the team as he was undergoing a costly divorce.[282][283] Buss was a local chemical engineer and former University of Southern California professor who had become wealthy in real estate.[280][284] Philip Anschutz bought a stake in the team in 1998,[285] and until October 2010 Magic Johnson was a minority owner as well.[286] Buss started the trend of allowing sponsors to add their name to team's stadiums when he renamed the Forum the Great Western Forum in 1988.[287] In 2009 major sponsors included Verizon Wireless, Toyota, Anheuser-Busch, American Express, and Carl's Jr., and the team's $113 average ticket price was the highest in the league.[285] Fast food chain Jack in the Box is another major sponsor, the company gives all fans in attendance at home games a coupon for two free tacos if the Lakers hold their opponent under 100 points and win. The company also sponsors the team's halftime shows on KCAL-TV and Fox Sports West.[288] In 2013, Buss died at the age of 80 after being hospitalized for 18 months with cancer.[289][290][291] His controlling ownership of the team passed to his six children via a trust, with each child receiving an equal vote.[292][293] Buss' succession plan had daughter Jeanie Buss assume his title as the Lakers' governor as well as its team representative at NBA Board of Governors meetings.[293][294]

text: Given the team's proximity to Hollywood, the Lakers fanbase includes numerous celebrities, many of whom can be seen at the Staples Center during home games.[295] Jack Nicholson, for example, has held season tickets since the 1970s, and directors reportedly need to work their shooting schedules around Lakers home games.[296] From 2002 and 2007 the team averaged just over 18,900 fans, which placed them in the top ten in the NBA in attendance. Red Hot Chili Peppers' song "Magic Johnson" from their 1989 album Mother's Milk is a tribute to the former point guard, and frontman Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary are frequently seen attending home games. The team has sold out every home game since the 2007–08 season.[297] As of 2010, the Lakers have the most popular team merchandise among all NBA teams, and Bryant the most popular jersey.[298]

text: Name, logo and uniforms

text: The Laker nickname came from the state of Minnesota being the Land of 10,000 Lakes.[11][299] The team's colors are purple, gold and white.[300][7] The Lakers logo consists of the team name, "Los Angeles Lakers" written in purple on top of a gold basketball. Purple uniforms are used for road games and gold uniforms are used for home games. The team also wears white jerseys for Sunday and holiday home games.[300][301]

text: Season-by-season records

text: The Lakers have won 16 NBA titles and have appeared in the NBA Finals 15 other times.[27] These appearances include eight NBA Finals appearances in the 1980s. The best record posted by the team was 69–13, in 1972; the worst record was 17–65, in 2015–16.[27]

text: Franchise and NBA records

text: Bryant holds most individual team records for longevity including most games played (1333), and most minutes logged (48,298). Johnson holds all significant assist records for the club including career assists (10,141), assists in a game (24), and highest assist average for a season (13.1). Johnson also has the most triple doubles, with his 138 over 100 more than the next closest player (Bryant; 17). Elmore Smith holds team records for blocks in a game (17), blocks per game for a season (4.85), and career blocks per game (3.93). The scoring records are mostly shared by Elgin Baylor and Bryant, with Baylor having the highest average for a career (27.4) while Bryant has the highest points scored in a single game (81). Baylor, Bryant and West hold the top five single season scoring averages, with Bryant occupying the numbers one (35.4) and four (31.6) spots, while Baylor has the second (34.8), and third (34.0), and West the fifth (31.3).[302][303]

text: The Lakers hold several NBA records as a team including most consecutive games won overall (33) and most consecutive road games won (16) both of which came during the 1971–72 season.[304] Highest field-goal percentage for a season at 54.5% (1984–85),[305] and highest road winning percentage at 0.816 (1971–72).[56] They also hold records for having (into the 2009–10 season) the most wins (3,027), the highest winning percentage (61.9%), and the most NBA Finals appearances (31).[27][306] The 2000–01 team set the NBA record for best playoff record at 15–1, which was later broken by the Golden State Warriors in 2017.[307] The 1971–72 team holds franchise records in wins (69), most points scored, and largest margin of victory; both of the latter came in the team's 63 point win versus Golden State (162–99).[308] They also used to hold the record for most wins at home in the regular season (going 36–5 in 1971–72, then 37–4 in both 1976–77 and 1979–80) before the Boston Celtics set the current record of 40–1 in the 1985–86 season.

text: Home arenas

text: The Lakers play their home games at Staples Center, located at L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles. Staples Center opened in fall 1999, and seats up to 18,997 for Lakers games.[309] The Staples Center is also home to the Los Angeles Clippers, the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings.[309] The arena is owned and operated by AEG and L.A. Arena Company.[309] Before moving to the Staples Center, for 32 seasons (1967–1999), the Lakers played their home games at The Forum in Inglewood, California, located approximately 10 miles southwest of the team's current home at Staples Center.[156] During the 1999 NBA preseason, the Lakers played their home games at the Forum before officially moving into Staples Center, and once again hosted a preseason game versus the Golden State Warriors on October 9, 2009, this time to commemorate the team's 50th anniversary season in Los Angeles.[310]

text: In the first seven years in Los Angeles, the team played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, south of Downtown Los Angeles.[311] While the team played in Minneapolis, the team played their home games at the Minneapolis Auditorium, from 1947 to 1960.[312]

text: Players

text: Current roster

text:
Los Angeles Lakers rostervte

Players
Coaches

Pos.
No.
Name
Height
Weight
DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)
From

G

7000200000000000000♠2

Ball, Lonzo

7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)

190 lb (86 kg)

1997–10–27

UCLA

F

7001110000000000000♠11

Beasley, Michael

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

235 lb (107 kg)

1989–01–09

Kansas State

G

—

Berry, Joel

7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)

195 lb (88 kg)

1995–04–01

North Carolina

G

7001170000000000000♠17

Bonga, Isaac

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

203 lb (92 kg)

1999–11–08

Germany

G

7000100000000000000♠1

Caldwell-Pope, Kentavious

7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

205 lb (93 kg)

1993–02–18

Georgia

G

7001300000000000000♠30

Carroll, Jeffrey

7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)

210 lb (95 kg)

1994–11–06

Oklahoma State

G

7000400000000000000♠4

Caruso, Alex (TW)

7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

186 lb (84 kg)

1994–02–28

Texas A&M

F

7000900000000000000♠9

Deng, Luol

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

220 lb (100 kg)

1985–04–16

Duke

G

7000300000000000000♠3

Hart, Josh

7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

215 lb (98 kg)

1995–03–06

Villanova

G/F

7001140000000000000♠14

Ingram, Brandon

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

190 lb (86 kg)

1997–09–02

Duke

G/F

7001230000000000000♠23

James, LeBron

7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)

250 lb (113 kg)

1984–12–30

St. Vincent–St. Mary HS (OH)

F

5000000000000000000♠0

Kuzma, Kyle

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

220 lb (100 kg)

1995–07–24

Utah

C

7000700000000000000♠7

McGee, JaVale

7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)

270 lb (122 kg)

1988–01–19

Nevada

F

7001100000000000000♠10

Mykhailiuk, Sviatoslav

7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)

212 lb (96 kg)

1997–06–10

Kansas

G

—

Rondo, Rajon

7000185420000000000♠6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

186 lb (84 kg)

1986–02–22

Kentucky

G

7000600000000000000♠6

Stephenson, Lance

7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

230 lb (104 kg)

1990–09–05

Cincinnati

F

7001150000000000000♠15

Wagner, Moritz

7000213360000000000♠7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)

241 lb (109 kg)

1997–04–26

Michigan

F

7001210000000000000♠21

Wear, Travis (TW)

7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)

190 lb (86 kg)

1990–09–21

UCLA

F

—

Williams, Johnathan

7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)

230 lb (104 kg)

1995–05–22

Gonzaga

C

7001400000000000000♠40

Zubac, Ivica

7000215899999999999♠7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)

265 lb (120 kg)

1997–03–18

Croatia

Head coach
Luke Walton
Assistant coach(es)
Mark Madsen
Jesse Mermuys
Miles Simon
Brian Shaw (Associate HC)
Brian Keefe (assistant coach/player development)
Clay Moser (assistant coach/basketball strategy)
Tracy Murray (assistant coach/shooting consultant)
Casey Owens (assistant coach/advance professional scout)

Legend
(C) Team captain(DP) Unsigned draft pick(FA) Free agent(S) Suspended(GL) On assignment to G League affiliate(TW) Two-way affiliate player Injured

Roster • Transactions  Last transaction: July 23, 2018

text: Retained draft rights

text: The Lakers hold the draft rights to the following unsigned draft picks who have been playing outside the NBA. A drafted player, either an international draftee or a college draftee who is not signed by the team that drafted him, is allowed to sign with any non-NBA teams. In this case, the team retains the player's draft rights in the NBA until one year after the player's contract with the non-NBA team ends.[313] This list includes draft rights that were acquired from trades with other teams.

text:
Draft

Round

Pick

Player

Pos.

Nationality

Current team

Note(s)

Ref

2009

2

59

Chinemelu Elonu

F/C

 Nigeria

AEK Athens (Greece)

[314]

2007

2

54

Brad Newley

G/F

 Australia

Sydney Kings (Australia)

[315]

text: Draft picks

text: The Lakers have had three first overall picks in their history: Elgin Baylor (selected in 1958), Magic Johnson (selected in 1979) and James Worthy (selected in 1982).[316] The Lakers have also had six lottery picks in their history: Eddie Jones (selected 10th overall in 1994), Andrew Bynum (selected 10th overall in 2005), Julius Randle (selected 7th overall in 2014), D'Angelo Russell (selected 2nd overall in 2015), Brandon Ingram (selected 2nd overall in 2016), and Lonzo Ball (selected 2nd overall in 2017).[316] Other draft picks include Jerry West and Gail Goodrich in the 1960s, Michael Cooper and Norm Nixon in the 1970s, A. C. Green and Vlade Divac in the 1980s, Elden Campbell, Nick Van Exel, Derek Fisher, and Devean George in the 1990s, and Luke Walton, Sasha Vujačić, and Ronny Turiaf in the 2000s.[316]

text: Head coaches

text: There have been 22 head coaches for the Lakers franchise. John Kundla coached the team in Minneapolis when they won their first five BAA/NBA championships, from 1949 to 1954.[42] Pat Riley is second in franchise history in both regular season and playoff games coached and wins.[317] Phil Jackson broke Riley's regular season wins record in 2009, and he passed Riley's playoff wins and games coached records in 2010.[317] Jackson, Riley, Kundla, and Bill Sharman have all been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for their coaching careers. George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis and Byron Scott have all played and head coached for the Lakers. Jackson, who had two stints as head coach, was coach from 2005–2006 until 2010–2011. Mike Brown was named his replacement for the 2011–2012 season in May 2011.[318] Brown was fired[319] on November 9, 2012, after a 1–4 start. Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff served as interim head coach for five games before the Lakers selected Mike D'Antoni as their new head coach. D'Antoni resigned at the end of the 2013–2014 season. In July 2014, Byron Scott was hired as head coach.[320] After the 2015–2016 season ended, Scott was fired. On April 29, 2016, former Lakers player Luke Walton was named as Scott's replacement.[321]

text: Hall of Famers, retired and honored numbers

text: The Lakers have 30 Hall of Famers (23 players, 4 head coaches, 1 assistant coach, and 2 contributors) who contributed to the organization.[322][323][324]

text:
Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famers

Players

No.
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted
No.
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

4
Adrian Dantley
F
1977–1979
2008
31
Spencer Haywood
F
1979–1980
2015

11
Karl Malone
F
2003–2004
2010
32
Magic Johnson
G
1979–19911996
2002

11
Bob McAdoo
F/C
1981–1985
2000
33
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
C
1975–1989
1995

13
Wilt Chamberlain
C
1968–1973
1979
34
Clyde Lovellette
F/C
1953–1957
1988

17
Jim Pollard
F
1948–1955
1978
34
Shaquille O'Neal
C
1996–2004
2016

19
Vern Mikkelsen
F
1949–1959
1995
42
Connie Hawkins
F/C
1973–1975
1992

20
Gary Payton
G
2003–2004
2013
42
James Worthy
F
1982–1994
2003

22
Elgin Baylor
F
1958–1971
1977
44
Jerry West
G
1960–1974
1980

22
Slater Martin
G
1949–1956
1982
52
Jamaal Wilkes
F
1977–1985
2012

23
Mitch Richmond
G
2001–2002
2014
73
Dennis Rodman
F
1999
2011

25
Gail Goodrich
G
1965–19681970–1976
1996
99
George Mikan
C
1948–19541955–1956
1959

31
Zelmo Beaty
C
1974–1975
2016

Coaches

Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

John Kundla
Head coach
1948–19571958–1959
1995
Phil Jackson
Head coach
1999–20042005–2011
2007

Bill Sharman
Head coach
1971–1976
2004
Tex Winter
Assistant coach
1999–2008
2011

Pat Riley
Assistant/head coach
1979–1981 (assistant)1981–1990 (head)
2008

Contributors

Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

Jerry Buss
Owner
1979–2013
2010

Chick Hearn
Broadcaster
1961–2002
2003

text: FIBA Hall of Famers

text:
Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famers

Players

No.
Name
Position
Tenure
Inducted

12
Vlade Divac
C
1989–19962004–2005
2010

34
Shaquille O'Neal
C
1996–2004
2017

text: Retired numbers

text: The Lakers have retired eleven jersey numbers and an honorary microphone in honor of their players and broadcaster:[325][326][327][328]

text:
Los Angeles Lakers retired numbers

No.

Player

Position

Tenure

Ceremony date

8
Kobe Bryant
G
1996–2006
December 18, 2017

13
Wilt Chamberlain
C
1968–1973
November 9, 1983

22
Elgin Baylor
F
1958–1971
November 9, 1983

24
Kobe Bryant
G
2006–2016
December 18, 2017

25
Gail Goodrich
G
1965–19681970–1976
November 20, 1996

32
Magic Johnson
G
1979–19911996
February 16, 1992

33
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
C
1975–1989
March 20, 1989

34
Shaquille O'Neal
C
1996–2004
April 2, 2013

42
James Worthy
F
1982–1994
December 10, 1995

44
Jerry West
G
1960–1974
November 19, 1983

52
Jamaal Wilkes
F
1977–1985
December 28, 2012

Chick Hearn
Broadcaster
1961–2002
December 2, 2002

text: In addition, several other players and coaches who were instrumental to the franchise's success during its days in Minneapolis were named Honored Minneapolis Lakers, although their numbers are not retired by the franchise:[329]

text:
17 Jim Pollard, F, 1948–1955, head coach, 1960
19 Vern Mikkelsen, F, 1949–1959
22 Slater Martin, G, 1949–1956
34 Clyde Lovellette, F/C, 1953–1957
99 George Mikan, C, 1948–1954; 1955–1956, head coach, 1957–1958
John Kundla, head coach, 1948–1957; 1958–1959

tag: ul

text: Media

text: Chick Hearn was the team's broadcaster for 41 years until his death in 2002. He broadcast 3,338 consecutive games between November 21, 1965, and December 16, 2001.[330] Hearn came up with West's "Mr. Clutch" nickname.[331] He was a part of the team's "inner sanctum" when Cooke was owner, and was consulted on basketball decisions.[332] Paul Sunderland, who had filled in for a couple of games while Hearn recuperated in 2001–02, was named the permanent play-by-play announcer. Stu Lantz was retained as the color commentator.[333] Sunderland's contract expired in the summer of 2005, and the team chose not to renew it.[334] Joel Meyers moved in alongside Lantz as the television announcer, while Spero Dedes and former Laker player Mychal Thompson on the radio.[335]

text: For the 2011–12 NBA season, Bill Macdonald became the new television play-by-play announcer, joining Lantz who remained as the color analyst. Meanwhile, John Ireland joined Mychal Thompson to call the games on radio.[336]

text: As of the 2009–10 season, Lakers radio broadcasts are heard on KSPN (Los Angeles ESPN Radio affiliate) in English and KWKW in Spanish.[335][337] KLAC had the team's radio broadcast rights from the 1976–77 season until the 2008–09 season.[337][338] Until 2011, telecasts had been split between KCAL-TV (road games) and Fox Sports West (home games), unless they are chosen for national broadcasts on ABC.[339] KCAL had been the Lakers' over-the-air television broadcaster since 1977, dating back to when the station was the RKO General-owned KHJ-TV, the longest relationship between an NBA team and a television station. Prior to KHJ, Laker games were televised on KTLA. The Lakers had been on Fox Sports West since 1985, dating to when it was the original Prime Ticket and owned by Buss.[340]

text: On February 14, 2011, Time Warner Cable and the Lakers announced the formation of two new regional sports networks (one in English, one in Spanish) that will exclusively televise the team's games and related programming for 20 years starting with the 2012–13 NBA season.[341] The said networks were originally known as Time Warner Cable SportsNet, before it was renamed Spectrum SportsNet in 2016 upon Charter Communications' purchase of Time Warner Cable.


document_title: List of Land of the Lost characters and species

question_text: what was the name of the t rex in land of the lost

root

text: Humans[edit]

text: The Marshalls[edit]

text: Rick, Will, and Holly Marshall are the initial human protagonists on Land of the Lost. Rick is later replaced by Uncle Jack.

tag: p

text: Rick Marshall, his son Will, and his young daughter Holly were rafting on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon when they were caught in "the greatest earthquake ever known". The river was diverted over a cliff, and as the Marshalls' raft plunged over the resulting waterfall they struck a time doorway partway down. Trapped in the Land of the Lost with only the minimal camping equipment they'd had on the raft, they make their camp in a natural cave partway up the face of a cliff they call the High Bluff.

text: The three of them are from California,[2] though Rick grew up on Ford Street in Indianapolis and attended Fillmore High there.[3] The Marshalls formerly lived in Harrisville, Indiana.[4] Mrs. Marshall died of unspecified causes when Will and Holly were very young, and neither of them remembers her very clearly. Rick describes her as being headstrong and beautiful, just like Holly, and apparently loved her deeply.[5] Will and Holly frequently suffer bouts of sibling rivalry, though they overcome such issues when the situation becomes difficult enough. Will is the most adventurous of the Marshalls, frequently taking "shortcuts" as an excuse to explore new territory and tampering with Pylons to determine their function. Holly suffers from a fear of heights.

text: At the beginning of the third season, Rick Marshall is lost unexpectedly via a time doorway in a newly discovered pylon; Will and Holly's uncle Jack Marshall (Ron Harper), who had been searching for them for six months by following the same river route along which they'd originally disappeared, experiences another earthquake and falls through a doorway into the Land. At the same time, another earthquake occurs in the Land itself that buries High Bluff along with the Marshalls' equipment and provisions. Therefore, the Marshalls move into a temple near the Lost City instead (not the same as the Builder's Temple).

text: The series ends without showing the Marshalls' ultimate fate, though there are some ambiguous suggestions of it. In "Elsewhen", an adult version of Holly visits via a time doorway from the future, and in another episode a mysterious "repairman" confidently predicts that the Marshalls will someday escape the Land of the Lost.

text: An alternate universe version of the Marshalls (who wear clothing that "our" Marshalls lost upon entry into the Land of the Lost, and who did not suffer the loss of their mother) appear in "Split Personality". It is discovered in the last first-season episode[1] that the Marshalls were their own counterbalance; their death in the Land of the Lost in that episode is what causes the time doorway that drew them there in the first place to open. "Circle" was intended to serve as a "final episode" in the event that the show was not renewed.

text: Jefferson Davis Collie III[edit]

text: Jefferson Davis Collie III is an old and somewhat deranged Confederate artillery man who has been in the Land of the Lost for many decades. He lives in the caves near where the river goes underground, obsessively mining the rich veins of light crystals there. His only companion is a cannon named "Sarah" with which he drives away the occasional group of Sleestak attackers using home-made gunpowder; he reports that Sleestak "taste a whole lot like lobster. But then again, not like lobster, if you know what I mean." Otherwise, his diet seems to consist solely of fish and wild mushrooms. The Marshalls encounter him when they attempt to ride the river out of the Land in the episode "Downstream", but he ultimately returns to his cave rather than face the dinosaurs in the jungle outside. Apparently, Collie is turned to stone by Medusa (see Native Inhabitants section below), appearing in her garden during the third-season episode "Medusa".

text: Collie was played by Walker Edmiston, the same actor who later played Enik the Altrusian. The original script for "Downstream" called for him to have a rifle, but concerns over young viewers being inspired to play with firearms resulted in its substitution with a cannon.

text: Rani[edit]

text: "Rani" (Erica Hagen), though she never actually stated, is likely an adult version of Holly from an unspecified point in the future. In "Elsewhen" she arrives through an open time doorway in Enik's cave to give aid to Holly after she runs off and leaves her family in one of the lower caverns. Rani appears to be in her early to mid-20s, with shoulder-length blonde hair and wears a simple yet elegant gown made from a pale blue fabric. Around her neck, she wears a pendant with a large blue crystal set into it with smaller yellow crystals framing it. She offers three identical pendants to Holly which "work like walkie-talkies" and will allow her to communicate with other wearers over long distance. She has a scar on the inside of her right arm which she received "while helping her brother out of a difficult situation". She convinces Holly that her family sees her as "the baby of the family" and are therefore overprotective of her and that she needs to help them any way she can. She also confesses with great sadness that "they won't always be there". Rani also tells her that in order to help them she must overcome her fear of heights by looking at the earth. Holly finally realizes who she is after she receives a fresh scar identical to Rani's while fighting the Sleestak "god" in order to buy time for her father to haul an injured Will up and out of the pit. She also claims that "Rani" was her secret name for herself that no one else knew about. Rani says that she is proof that her family can escape the Land one day and disappears through the open doorway.

text: Peter Koenig and Harry Potts[edit]

text: Peter Koenig was a private in General George Washington's Revolutionary Army who arrived in the Land of the Lost some time prior to the Marshalls.[6] Koenig and his companion Harry Potts explored the Land extensively in search of a way back to Earth.

text: When the Marshalls first arrive, they discover a stone pillar in the jungle where Koenig had written "Beware of Sleestak" with chalk. The Marshalls only learn much later who had been responsible for this warning, when they discovered Koenig's journal. Koenig claims to have dubbed the Sleestak thus in honor of Major Joshua Sleestak. Koenig claims in his journal to have taught the Pakuni a few English words.

text: Koenig met his death when he followed Potts' path into the Lost City. Koenig went into the third entrance, "where the pillars end", which eventually led through a narrow passageway into the "Devil's Cauldron". This was a lava chamber, with a narrow ledge, where he became trapped when the lava level rose, reviving the Sleestak. He preferred to await death in the lava chamber, rather than facing the Sleestak who had gathered outside the chamber to catch him. The Marshalls find Koenig's skeleton in the chamber and narrowly escape a similar fate.

text: Beauregard Jackson[edit]

text: Beauregard Jackson (Ron Masak) of Fort Worth, Texas is a hypersonic glider pilot from 20 years in Earth's future relative to when the Marshalls became trapped in the Land of the Lost. As shown in the episode "Hurricane", he becomes briefly trapped in the Land of the Lost when Will, tinkering with the crystal matrix table in a Pylon located high on a mountain, causes a time doorway to open high above the ground. Jackson's glider was re-entering Earth's atmosphere over Ecuador, returning from a routine transit between Phoenix Port and Space Station 5. His glider's tail is suddenly severed, and the next thing he knows he is hanging from a tree by his parachute. With the help of the Marshalls, Jackson soon manages to return via the same time doorway, but the Marshalls cannot follow since Earth's end of the time doorway is 15 miles above the ground and there is only one parachute.

text: However, in the original script Jackson makes an offhand remark about Texas being its own country prompting a suspicious Rick to compare the currency in his wallet with Jackson's. He discovers that not only is Jackson from the future but from an alternate timeline, where Texas was not part of the United States and oil (not gold) is the standard.

text: William Blandings[edit]

text: Blandings (Laurie Main) is a mysterious figure who appears to the Marshalls as a pudgy, balding man in his late 40s with a British accent. He claims to be a "repairman" for the sun (although probably just the Sun pylon) and carries an umbrella and a valise with him. Although apparently human, Blandings displays considerable—nearly clairvoyant—knowledge about both the Marshalls and the Land of the Lost and the implements he carries with him are anything but ordinary. His umbrella acts something like an air conditioner keeping himself and Uncle Jack cool during the sweltering heat of increasing solar flare activity. Much like the pylons, his valise appears extradimensional in nature and from it Blandings can produce anything he wants. He also carries an amulet which produces a forcefield which he uses to repel the Sleestak. Although a formidable being, Blandings offers hints that he was sent by and actually serves a higher power.

text: Malak[edit]

text: Malak (Richard Kiel) calls himself the "God of the Cro-Magnon" and "King of the Teutons". He is an opportunistic barbarian who lies, steals, threatens, and bullies to get what he wants. How and when he came to the Land of the Lost, or where exactly in time and space he comes from, is never revealed. He diverts an underground river into the Sleestak egg caves as a means of exacting tribute from them.

text: Nonhumans[edit]

text: Pakuni[edit]

text: Pakuni (singular: Paku, though this usage is not consistently obeyed) are a species of small ape-like humanoids, ground-dwelling and bipedal, but not fully upright in posture. They are primarily herbivores, though they do occasionally eat small animals (an iguana-like lizard in the episode "Stone Soup", for example). They know how to create fire using flints,[7] and manufacture simple tools such as the sharpened sticks they use as defensive weapons. Pakuni display significant skill with representational art and have superstitious rituals that usually include chanting but they do not appear to understand music. They live in small family groups that construct strong bamboo enclosures as shelters. The family groups are territorial but they are quite capable of forming alliances and friendships with neighbors when resources are plentiful and they understand the concept of trade. Young Pakuni undergo a rite of adulthood in which they must steal the egg of a large predatory dinosaur to prove their worth.

text: Cha-Ka[edit]

text: One of Pakuni to appear in the series, Cha-Ka (Phillip Paley) is the most favorably disposed toward the Marshalls. In the first episode the Marshalls rescue him from "Grumpy" the Tyrannosaurus and splinted Cha-Ka's broken leg. Subsequently, Cha-Ka forms a close friendship with the family and with Holly in particular, helping them whenever possible and occasionally visits the Marshalls in their cave in High Bluff. Much of Cha-Ka's moments range from his attempt to undergo the rite of adulthood to facing a mysterious being who saw him worthy of advancing on an intellectual level, resulting with him gaining the ability to speak near perfect English, play an alto recorder-like wind-instrument, walk and run upright, and learn to make fire by Season 3. After being separated from Ta and Sa after the earthquake that marks the beginning of season three, Cha-Ka moves in with the Marshalls at the temple.

text: Ta and Sa[edit]

text: The two older Pakuni who look after Cha-Ka and boss him around. The exact familial relationship between these Pakuni is never explicitly stated (Gerrold deliberately left the relationship vague but describes Ta and Sa as being more akin to Cha-Ka's elder siblings rather than parents). Ta (Joe Giamalva in Season 1 and Scutter McKay in Season 2) is a domineering, egotistical and a treacherous Paku (Gerrold referred to Ta as a "small, furry Hitler" in his script) who never comes to trust the Marshalls. He can be bargained with, however, and although he usually attempts to cheat the Marshalls it is not particularly difficult to see through the trick. Sa (Sharon Baird) occasionally seems to be a moderating influence on Ta, but for the most part serves as a follower. Ta is sometimes considered to be the "alpha" Paku[8] or a "witch doctor".[9] He has knowledge of some of the workings of the Land of the Lost, which he disguises with a clever use of herbs and phony chanting and dancing to make it appear that he controls them. For example, he understands that the "Pylon Express" only opens when the three moons are aligned and so times his own "opening ritual" to coincide with that, and he knows that the effects of the poison from the carnivorous plant[9] are only temporary and so hurries to sell the Marshalls a "cure" before it wears off on its own. Both Ta and Sa get separated from Cha-Ka during the earthquake that marks the beginning of season three and were not seen there after, though it was mentioned their tracks were seen "ending at a dead-end cliff-face and disappearing" by Will in Season 3, Episode 8.

text: Although never referenced within the series itself, the pilot script refers to the Pakuni's full names as "Cha-Ka-Ta" and "Cha-Ka-Sa" but shortens them to "Ta" and "Sa" for the sake of brevity. The youngest Paku was just called "Cha-Ka" because he lacked identity with his tribe until such time as he earned his name. Originally, there was also a fourth Paku named "Cha-Ka-Ra" but "Ra" was dropped from the story during pre-production.

text: Sleestak[edit]

text: Sleestak are green humanoids with both reptilian and insectoid features; they have scaly skin with frills around the neck, bulbous unblinking eyes, pincer-like hands, stubby tails, and a single blunt horn on top of the head, and bear a resemblance to the hypothetical "Dinosauroid". Sleestak often communicate with a hissing sound that rarely changes in characteristics. However, like their Altrusian ancestors, they possess some rudimentary form of telepathy as well. Sleestak are more sophisticated than Pakuni and are able to make crossbows, rope, nets, periscopes[10] and other relatively advanced technologies. Sleestak are typically equipped with a crossbow and a quiver full of metal bolts which hang from their waist. The Sleestak have a current population of about 7,000 according to the Library of Skulls,[11] but there were only three Sleestak costumes available for the show's production, which sometimes required creative editing to create the illusion that they were that numerous.

text: The Sleestak live in the Lost City, an underground tunnel complex originally constructed by the Altrusians. They hate bright light and rarely venture out during the day. They also have a "hibernation season" during which they stand motionless; cool air keeps them in hibernation, and the heat from lava in a pool that the character Peter Koenig (see below) dubbed "Devil's Cauldron" inside the caverns of the Lost City revives them again on a regular schedule.[6] The Sleestak are very defensive of the Lost City. They know that their ancestors built it, but do not know how or why. They have occasionally tried exploring beyond the chasm that separates the Lost City from the rest of the Land, but their expeditions generally do not return; they consider the City to be their only refuge.

text: The Sleestak have encountered many other humans who have become trapped in the Land of the Lost before the Marshalls arrive, and regard humans as a terrible threat; they attempt to capture and sacrifice humans to their god (an unseen beast who dwells in a smoky pit) at every opportunity.

text: According to Dave Gerrold's DVD commentary for "The Sleestak God", the "god" was originally intended as a running gag with it being this loud, mysterious, hungry beast that no one ever sees ultimately to have been revealed as something much smaller (but no less voracious) than it sounded. Had Gerrold remained on-staff as part of Season 2, viewers would have discovered that the god was actually the Sleestak Queen.

text: Altrusian moths are considered sacred by the Sleestak and required for fertilization of their eggs. The Sleestak hunt them when they emerge during the night.[11] In "Blackout", the Sleestak scheme to cause perpetual night by disabling a second clock pylon, allowing them to capture the Altrusian moths. The Sleestak plan to devour large quantities of the moths so that in one thousand hours, a thousand new Sleestak will be born allowing them to resume control over the Land of the Lost. Unfortunately for the Sleestak (but fortunately for the Marshalls), the cold of the long night also begins killing the moths. (According to Wina Sturgeon's original story for "The Hole", the Sleestak ate bugs as a regular part of their diet and used a special drill attachment for their crossbow bolts to dig them out of trees.)

text: Sleestak eggs are gestated in a communal hatchery. The Sleestak capture live animals and tie them up there, leaving them for the young to feed on when they hatch.[10] Occasionally, a Sleestak will be hatched that is a "throwback" to their Altrusian ancestors, being born with greater intelligence and with an innate knowledge of Altrusian history and technology—though not, for some reason, knowledge of the pylons or matrix operation. The other Sleestak regard these throwbacks as a threat, and so they are also sacrificed to the Sleestak god when detected. One such throwback, named S'latch, is encountered by the Marshalls in the episode "The Hole", but S'latch is never seen again thereafter.

text: S'latch was to have returned in an unproduced script called "The Littlest Sleestak" in which he comes to claim a juvenile Sleestak that the Marshalls had adopted after unknowingly taking home several of their eggs. However, the little one (now referred to as "Speaks-To-Meat" by the other Sleestak) is considered "tainted" by human contact and thus deemed unfit.

text: The Sleestak are governed by both a Council and a Leader. The Sleestak Leader wears a distinctive pendant and Enik occasionally negotiates with him as in the episode "Fair Trade". The Council often consults the "Library of Skulls" where several skulls belonging to their ancient ancestors are somehow able to communicate with them and dispense advice.

text: The Pakuni word for Sleestak is "Sarisataka".

text: Ex-Detroit Piston and current WNBA coach Bill Laimbeer played a Sleestak before attending Notre Dame. He was a Palos Verdes High School student, and the show solicited their basketball team for tall people to play Sleestak.

text: Altrusians[edit]

text: The ancestors of Modern Sleestak were the Altrusians. Their civilization fell approximately 1,000 years earlier. The Sleestak sometimes use the term "Altrusian" to refer to themselves[11] and sometimes to refer only to the true Altrusians.[12] Physically, the Altrusians were similar to Sleestak, with the former marked by a shorter stature, an extra finger on each hand, and a golden yellow skin tone. Intellectually they were very different, however. The Altrusians possessed advanced psionic technologies based on light crystals and understood a great deal about the operation of the Land of the Lost. They strove for calm emotionlessness and as a result could be both cooperative and quite callous.

text: One Altrusian, named Enik, is a recurring character in the series, introduced in the episode "The Stranger". He travels to the current time accidentally via a time doorway. He initially believes himself to be in the distant past, but upon discovering the ruins of the Lost City, he theorizes that his people degenerated into modern Sleestak when they failed to control their hate and anger. Rick Marshall speculates that it was not the presence of hate that doomed the Altrusians, but rather the absence of compassion; Enik considers this to be a cogent argument and plans to return to his people to warn them of this flaw in their philosophy.

text: Altrusians have a very strict code of honor: they cannot allow others to show more self-control or make greater personal sacrifices than themselves. One can thus shame them into making sacrifices. In "The Search", Will (unintentionally) convinces Enik to pass up a chance to return to his own time by first passing up an opportunity of his own to return to Earth. Enik also claims that Altrusians are incapable of lying although clearly they can "bend" the truth (or not give full disclosure of all facts) if it is in their best interest to do so. While Enik told Jack Marshall that he grasped the concept of morality, he concluded that it was "not logical". Also handed down from the Altrusians was the concept of "Altrusian grace". This meant that someone (including a human) who helped a Sleestak would be allowed safe passage to and from the Library of Skulls to ask the Index Skull a single question.[12]

text: Enik[edit]

text: Enik (Walker Edmiston) introduced in the episode "The Stranger", is one of the original Altrusian inhabitants from before their civilization fell, though he initially believes himself to be trapped in the Altrusians' pre-civilized period. However, he too fell through a time doorway to become trapped in the current era of the Land of the Lost and discovered that the current Sleestak are actually his descendants and not his ancestors. He introduced himself as being one of the "keepers of the time portals" although it is unclear if he is referring to a select number of Altrusians tasked with that responsibility or his entire race. As such, he is equipped with a piece of Altrusian technology called a Magetti, a large crystal suspended in a tetrahedral frame that Enik describes as a "divining rod" that can be used to locate and fix dimensional doorways, determining where and when they would open. The Magetti has a self-destruct mechanism that is triggered when its user experiences sufficiently-strong hostile emotions; this is a built-in safeguard to prevent it from falling into violent hands. Will Marshall inadvertently destroys it and forces Enik to rely on a different and less-suitable device (a "companion piece" to the Magetti that is worn around his neck as a pendant) to continue his efforts to return to his own time and warn his people of their fate.

text: Enik is quite contemptuous of the current state of the Sleestak since the fall of the Altrusian civilization, though he feels compelled to aid them because they are his future, albeit contemptible. They return the contempt, referring to him as "the dwarf", and fear that he intends to seize power over them.[12] He is equipped with a bracelet of red crystals he can use to cause beings to be overcome by hallucinations of their greatest fear, so the Sleestak generally give Enik a wide berth. He spends much of his time during the series in the Lost City, working with a matrix table there attempting to open a time doorway home.

text: In addition to his shorter stature and different skin coloration, Enik is distinguished from the Sleestak in that he wears a distinctive red garment (Sleestak do not wear clothing). This garment was added to his costume when the wetsuit Enik's skin was crafted from shrank after rubber scales were glued to it, requiring slits to be cut across the front in order for Walker Edmiston to fit inside.

text: A being resembling Enik, suggesting that his appearance is typical of Altrusians—or possibly Enik himself—was seen in what is presumably the Lost City from the time of the Altrusians.[13]

text: Walter Koenig, the scriptwriter of "The Stranger", originally named this character "Eneg", in honor of Gene Roddenberry. As noted in an audio commentary on the DVD, the spelling was changed to Enik (reverse of the Greek root word for "cinema") by David Gerrold, before the episode "The Stranger" was taped.

text: Many episodes refer to or take place in Enik's cave, which contains a time doorway and lies near the Sleestak god's pit, and is accessible through the central of the three entrances into the Lost City. Enik also appears in other episodes, including "The Search", "Circle", "Fair Trade", and "Blackout".

text: The Zarn[edit]

text: The Zarn, (portrayed by Van Snowden and voiced by Marvin Miller), is introduced in the eponymous second-season episode. The Zarn is a humanoid alien who is invisible except for white spots of light scattered over his surface; he doesn't even leave footprints when he walks on soft soil. His starship became trapped in the Land of the Lost while traveling through hyperspace. The Zarn has powerful psionic abilities, able to read minds at a great distance and telekinetically levitate objects. However, this powerful telepathy is also the Zarn's greatest weakness; intense, angry emotions in people nearby cause the Zarn great pain, and the spots of light on his invisible body turn red in reaction.

text: The Zarn is apparently a researcher of some kind whose mission involved the study of other intelligent species before he became trapped in the Land. Since the Zarn is very sensitive to others' emotions, he creates android "research assistants" to interact with them, programming them from the memories of people he has scanned. The androids are totally convincing although their hands are cold to the touch. They have histories that incorporate great amounts of detail based on the knowledge of the scanned subject, to an eerie and suspicious degree. When the Marshalls first encounter the Zarn he creates an android named Sharon who is based on Rick Marshall's memories, such that she claims to have grown up in the same town as him, gone to the same school, and have the same interests. The excessive coincidences eventually give Sharon away, however, at which point the Zarn causes her to self-destruct.

text: The Zarn also has a "combat" robot that he named Fred, a 10-foot-tall dinosaur-like armless biped robot with a tail, a long neck and beaked head with glowing eyes.[14] Fred is very strong, but fairly slow. Rick and Will destroy Fred by luring it to a mountain top during a lightning storm. The model for Fred was a metal armature used by special effects artist Wah Chang to animate Junior the dinosaur, sans "flesh".

text: The Zarn is extremely overconfident, arrogant, and certain of his superior knowledge, even when it actually has holes. The Zarn is also quite petty, using telekinesis to play tricks on people he dislikes and to sow discord. He claims this behavior is "research". He frequently mocks people by "speaking" telepathically in the voices of people they know, saying hurtful things dredged from their memories. At one point the Zarn claimed that the emotion of pity was the most painful one for him to be exposed to,.[14] The Zarn also appears in "The Babysitter", wherein he disparages various emotions he claims to have given up a thousand years before.

text: Animals[edit]

text: The Land of the Lost's megafauna consists primarily of dinosaurs; species noted included Coelophysis, Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, Styracosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and Pteranodon. There are also iguanas,[15] wild blue and red pigs,[10][9] pink and blue chicken-like birds,[16] fish,[9] guinea pigs, rhinoceroses, large beetles (called "Tula" by Enik),[10][11] bamboo, and giant varieties of modern berries and vegetables. It is unknown whether they were placed here by the Altrusians or if they came to the Land of the Lost accidentally. Rick suggests that the plants grow unusually large due to the nature of the soil.[17]

text: Several dinosaurs that the Marshalls encountered frequently were given names, for example, Spike, for at least two Triceratops; Spot, for many Coelophysis; and Dopey, the baby Brontosaurus that they sometimes used as a pack animal, along with his adopted mother, Emily (who, according to Gerrold, was named after Emily Brontë). A Tyrannosaurus, Grumpy was first of the dinosaurs the Marshall family encountered, occasionally chasing them to High Bluff, being tall enough to look inside as the Marshalls ram a sharpened log they called the "flyswatter" into Grumpy's open mouth and drive him away. Holly speculates that Grumpy continued to return due to the large quantities of a ground-hugging fern-like plant she dubs "dinosaur nip" that grows in the area.[6] An Allosaurus, Big Alice dwells around the Lost City and is referred to by the Sleestaks as "Selima", meaning "Protector" in their language due to her role in keeping predators away from their eggs. She even tangled with Grumpy on occasion whenever he trespasses on her territory. She also had her own egg that hatched into her son Junior.

text: There were also a number of species that did not appear closely related to known Earth life, mostly in the third season. These included a large venus-flytrap-like plant capable of consuming prey the size of a large rodent using a paralytic poison,[9] a two-headed Elasmosaurus-like creature (LuLu), and a fire-breathing Dimetrodon-like creature (Torchy). Another species that made an appearance in the third season was a Yeti-like creature called Tappa and a similar creature named Kona, as well as a unicorn-pony called a Toe-Ki that lives high in the mountains, prevented from descending into the jungle by a guardian statue left behind by the Altrusians.


document_title: Maria (Twelfth Night)

question_text: who does maria fall in love with in twelfth night

text: Maria (Twelfth Night)

text:
Maria
Twelfth Night character
Maria (second from right) giggling while Malvolio demonstrates his yellow stockings to his lady Olivia. Painting by Johann Heinrich Ramberg.Created by
William Shakespeare

tag: table

text: Maria is a fictional character in the play Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. She is a servant in Olivia's household. Maria is shown to have a friendly relationship with Sir Toby Belch, and exhibits a witty attitude. Maria also forged a love letter to Malvolio which resulted in Malvolio's condemnation to the madhouse.

text: Connections with other characters[edit]

text:
Maria is Olivia's personal house-maid
Sir Toby Belch is Maria's lover and eventual husband
Malvolio is the steward in Olivia's household and therefore Maria's supervisor

text: Performers[edit]

text:
Year
Media
Performer

1869
Broadway
Fannie Davenport

1905
Broadway
Zeffie Tilbury

1910
Film
Marin Sais

1939
Television
Lucille Lisle

1949
Broadway
Ruth Enders

1955
Film
Anna Lisyanskaya

1957
Television
Micheline Luccioni

1963
Off-Broadway
Peggy Pope

1969
Off-Broadway
Jennifer Darling

1970
Television
Raph Wolfs

1972
Television
Jet Naessens

1974
Television
Anne Stallybrass

1980
Television
Annette Crosbie

1987
Film
Tracy Harvey

1988
Television
Abigail McKern

1996
Film
Imelda Staunton

1999
Off-Broadway
Dana Slamp

2003
Television
Maureen Beattie

2009
Off-Broadway
Julie White

2012
Off-Broadway
Katie Alto