Winning isn't just a habit for the Purple and Gold; it's practically a personality trait. If you look at the la lakers record by year, you aren't just looking at wins and losses. You are looking at the heartbeat of Los Angeles.
From the cold winters in Minneapolis to the glitz of Showtime and the grit of the Kobe era, this franchise has basically defined what it means to be a "blue blood" in the NBA. It’s a wild ride. Honestly, seeing the shifts from 60-win seasons to the dark days of the mid-2010s tells a story that stats alone can't quite capture.
The Early Days: From the Lakes to the Palm Trees
People often forget the "Lakers" name makes zero sense in a desert. Before the move to California in 1960, they were the Minneapolis Lakers. Led by George Mikan—the league's first true superstar—they dominated the late 40s and early 50s. They won five titles in six years. That’s absurd. If you check the records from 1948 to 1954, they were basically an ATM for championships.
Then came the move. The 1960-61 season changed everything. Jerry West arrived. Then Elgin Baylor. The wins kept coming, but so did the heartbreak. During the 60s, the Lakers were consistently elite, often winning 50+ games, yet they kept hitting a green wall named the Boston Celtics. It’s why the rivalry feels so personal.
By the time 1971-72 rolled around, the Lakers weren't just good; they were historic. 69 wins. A 33-game winning streak that still hasn't been touched. Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West finally got their LA ring, cementing a 1.000 win percentage in the Finals that year.
Magic, Kareem, and the Showtime Explosion
The 1979-80 season is the pivot point for modern basketball. Magic Johnson walks in. The la lakers record by year during the 1980s looks like a video game cheat code.
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- 1979-80: 60-22 (Champions)
- 1981-82: 57-25 (Champions)
- 1984-85: 62-20 (Champions)
- 1986-87: 65-17 (Champions)
- 1987-88: 62-20 (Champions)
Pat Riley’s slicked-back hair and the fast-break offense made them the hottest ticket in the world. They never won fewer than 54 games in any season during the 80s. Think about that. Most franchises pray for one 50-win season a decade. The Lakers did it every single year for ten years straight. It was a decade of dominance that saw them make the Finals eight times. Eight.
But gravity eventually wins. After Magic's HIV announcement in 1991, the win totals dipped. The mid-90s were... fine. They were okay. Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones kept them relevant, hovering around 48 to 53 wins, but they lacked that "it" factor until a specific 17-year-old from Lower Merion High School and a giant from Orlando showed up.
The Kobe and Shaq Dynasty
When Phil Jackson arrived in 1999, the team exploded. The 1999-2000 season saw a 67-15 record. Shaq was an absolute force of nature, and Kobe was becoming the "Black Mamba" before our eyes. The three-peat era (2000-2002) is arguably the highest peak of any duo in league history.
They hit a wall in 2004-05. Shaq was gone. Phil was gone (briefly). The record plummeted to 34-48. It was the first time in ages the Lakers felt truly mortal.
Kobe didn't stay down for long, though. Once Pau Gasol arrived in 2008, the wins skyrocketed again. Back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 saw records of 65-17 and 57-25. That 2010 Game 7 against Boston? Pure grit. It wasn't pretty, but it added another banner.
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The Darkest Timeline and the LeBron Era
If you want to see Lakers fans cringe, look at the records between 2013 and 2018. It was brutal. 27 wins. 21 wins. Then the rock bottom: 17-65 in 2015-16. It was Kobe’s farewell tour, which was beautiful, but the basketball was objectively hard to watch.
The ship righted itself when LeBron James signed in 2018. Even then, it wasn't an instant fix. His first year was a 37-win struggle plagued by injuries. But the trade for Anthony Davis changed the trajectory immediately.
The 2019-20 season was unlike any other. A 52-19 record in a pandemic-shortened season, ending with a title in the Orlando Bubble. It proved that even in a global crisis, the Lakers find a way to the top. Since then, the record has been a bit of a rollercoaster—a 33-win disappointment in 2022 followed by a play-in miracle run in 2023.
Understanding the Nuance of the Record
When you analyze the la lakers record by year, you notice they rarely stay "average." They are either chasing 60 wins or they are bottoming out to rebuild. There is no middle ground in Los Angeles. The "all-in" mentality often leads to those lean years because they trade away draft picks for stars.
The franchise has a total winning percentage that usually hovers around .590 or .600, which is staggering considering they've played over 5,000 games.
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Critical Turning Points in Lakers History
- 1968 Acquisition of Wilt Chamberlain: Jumpstarted the first LA-based championship core.
- 1979 Draft: Drafting Magic Johnson changed the financial and cultural trajectory of the NBA.
- 1996 Offseason: Trading for Kobe Bryant’s draft rights and signing Shaq in the same summer.
- 2018 Free Agency: Landing LeBron James to end the longest playoff drought in franchise history.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of folks look at the 17 championships and assume it's always been easy. It hasn't. The Lakers have some of the most agonizing Finals losses in history—mostly to the Celtics. Their "year by year" record reflects a team that is constantly under a microscope. A 45-win season in LA is considered a failure. In Charlotte or Minnesota, that’s a parade-worthy success.
The pressure of the "Standard" is real. It’s why players like Russell Westbrook or Dwight Howard (the first time) struggled there despite being Hall of Fame talents. If the win column doesn't start with a 5, the fans get restless.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Historians
If you’re tracking the Lakers' success or trying to predict where they go next, keep these factors in mind:
- Look at the "Star Health" variable: The Lakers' record is historically more sensitive to superstar injuries than teams with "system" coaching like the Spurs.
- The "Post-All-Star Break" Surge: Historically, championship Laker teams find their gear in February. If the record hasn't stabilized by then, history says they won't win it all.
- Factor in the "Lakers Tax": Teams play harder against LA. Their regular-season record often reflects 82 "Game 7s" because every opponent wants to beat the Lakers.
For a deep dive into specific box scores from the Showtime era or the detailed stats of the 2000s, checking the official NBA archives or Basketball-Reference provides the raw data to back up these shifts. The record is more than a list of numbers; it’s a map of NBA history.