One of the NBA's most successful teams is the Los Angeles Lakers. With 16 championships, the Lakers are the NBA's most valuable team, worth an estimated US$2.6 billion3. For the team dressed in purple, white, and gold, success was far from certain. In 1947, the Detroit Gems of the NBL broke up and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The team changed its name in honor of the state's nickname, the land of 10,000 lakes. Though the Lakers were successful in Minneapolis at the beginning, the team struggled during the 1950s and soon moved to Los Angles in 1960.
The Los Angeles Lakers that we know today have produced some of the finest athletes in basketball history. Starting from the NBA's first superstar, George Mikan, all the way to the Lakers' current superstar, Kobe Bryant, the Lakers have never been short on talent. It was not until the 1980s, however, that a Magic Johnson-led team really displayed what the Lakers could do on the basketball court. His signature fast breaks and no-look passes brought the Lakers five championships in nine years. Recently, however, the Lakers have slowed down a bit. Their last championship was in 2010, and their star player, Bryant, has been injured for parts of the past three seasons. Now, the Lakers are looking to younger players to do well in the future.
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