During this time, LA won five championships in nine years, solidifying the Lakers' reputation as the team to beat. The team's entertaining spirit and fast-break offensive plays enthralled spectators and set the Lakers on fire in a way that fans wouldn't see again until the late 1990s. Nicknamed the "Showtime" era, this epic decade of Lakers basketball was defined by a fast-paced, freewheeling style, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Sure, the '60s saw LA make the NBA finals a total of six times, and the '70s shined with Wilt the Stilt, but nothing quite compares to the Lakers in the '80s. That said, there was something special about 1980s basketball in Los Angeles. There’s never been a bad time to be a Lakers fan. It’s Showtime: The Golden Age of the Lakers It's no wonder the Lakers have become LA's most sensational basketball team.
The team has a long and storied history of hosting some of the most legendary athletes to ever play the game- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Magic Johnson have all worn purple and gold over the years, followed by modern players like LeBron, Kobe, and Shaq.
Prior to 1960, they were known as the Minneapolis Lakers-a nod to their home state's nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes." Though they're a long way from their frosty Minnesota roots today, the LA Lakers are as hot as ever in their West Coast digs. The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most popular franchises in NBA history, but the team wasn't always at home in the City of Angels.