NBA Champions ·
1980 Los Angeles Lakers
The 1980 Los Angeles Lakers won the title in Magic Johnson's rookie season, beating Philadelphia in six. The clincher is the one everyone remembers: with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar home nursing a sprained ankle, Magic started at center in Game 6 and put up 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. Kareem was the regular-season MVP. The Lakers had two head coaches that year after a bicycle accident sidelined the first.
Los Angeles went 60-22 and led the league in offense. Jack McKinney designed the fast-breaking system, but he crashed his bicycle and suffered a serious head injury early in the season. Assistant Paul Westhead took over and guided the team the rest of the way, with Pat Riley helping on the bench.
Abdul-Jabbar won MVP at 24.8 points a game on absurd efficiency. The rookie Johnson, drafted first overall out of Michigan State, gave them a 6-foot-9 point guard who could play anywhere, averaging 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. Jamaal Wilkes scored 20 a game on the wing, and Norm Nixon ran the break alongside Magic.
The Finals against Philadelphia turned on Game 6. Kareem had hurt his ankle and stayed in Los Angeles, so Westhead moved Johnson to center. Magic took the opening tip, then filled in at every position and dropped 42 to close out the series on the road. He became the only rookie to win Finals MVP.
The win started a decade of Lakers dominance. The roster around the two stars kept turning over, but the core of Magic and Kareem reached the Finals eight times in the 1980s and won five.
Championship roster
Featured in Ring Holders Club
| Player | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Johnson | PG | 92 |
| Norm Nixon | SG | 80 |
| Jamaal Wilkes | SF | 84 |
| Spencer Haywood | PF | 78 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | C | 90 |
| Michael Cooper | 6th man | 79 |
| Pat Riley | Coach | 85 |
Ratings are year-specific curated estimates for Ring Holders Club, not official NBA stats.
Rest of the roster
| Player | Pos | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Chones | C | starting center next to Abdul-Jabbar |
| Mark Landsberger | F/C | |
| Don Ford | F | |
| Brad Holland | G |