1982 Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles finished 57-25 and won the Pacific Division. The season's defining moment came in November, when Magic asked to be traded and management instead fired coach Paul Westhead. Riley, an assistant and former broadcaster, took over and the team went 50-21 under him. The fast break became the franchise signature.

Abdul-Jabbar led the scoring at 23.9 a game, with Jamaal Wilkes adding 21.1 and Johnson posting 18.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 9.5 assists. Norm Nixon shared the backcourt. The Lakers added Bob McAdoo, a former MVP, in a December trade, and he gave them frontcourt scoring off the bench.

The playoff run was nearly flawless before the Finals. Los Angeles swept Phoenix and San Antonio to reach the championship round, then beat Julius Erving and Philadelphia in six. Johnson averaged a near triple-double and was named Finals MVP for the second time.

The rivalry with Philadelphia would flip a year later, when the 76ers added Moses Malone and swept the Lakers. For now, Riley had his first title in what became a Hall of Fame coaching run.

The starting five was Magic Johnson, Norm Nixon, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Pat Riley coached the group with Michael Cooper as the primary bench scorer.

This was title number 2 in a Los Angeles Lakers run that stretched across consecutive or near-consecutive seasons. Repeat winners carried continuity from one year to the next.

The full roster ran deeper than the headline names. Role players who mattered included Jamaal Wilkes (21.1 points a game, the team's top scorer); Mitch Kupchak (a knee injury ended his season in December).

By 1982 the NBA had expanded nationwide and the Finals were a national television event. The Los Angeles Lakers title run still required winning the East or West bracket, then taking the championship round.

The Los Angeles Lakers share a lineage with other banners from 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020. Compare those seasons on the franchise hub to see how the roster and style changed between title runs.

Looking back, the 1982 Los Angeles Lakers won their second title in three years, sweeping their way to the Finals and beating Philadelphia in six. Magic Johnson took Finals MVP at age 22, his second in three seasons. The year began in chaos when Johnson pushed for a coaching change 11 games in and the Lakers handed the job to Pat Riley.

For the full roster beyond the featured starters, see the table on this page. For other Los Angeles Lakers titles, use the franchise hub linked below.