2000 Los Angeles Lakers

Jerry West's roster had the talent but no playoff breakthrough until Jackson arrived and installed the triangle offense. O'Neal answered with the best season of his career, averaging 29.7 points and 13.6 rebounds and taking the MVP by all but one vote.

Kobe Bryant, 21, became the clear second option, with Glen Rice spacing the floor and veterans Ron Harper, Brian Shaw, and A.C. Green steadying the rotation. The team won 67 games and 19 of its last 20 to close the season.

The playoffs were not smooth. Sacramento pushed the Lakers to five in the first round, and Portland led by 15 in the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the conference finals before Los Angeles stormed back, capped by the Bryant-to-O'Neal alley-oop. In the Finals, O'Neal dominated Indiana inside, and the Lakers took it in six with a 116-111 Game 6 win.

O'Neal's 41-point closeout sealed the first of three straight. The title was the franchise's first in 12 years and Jackson's seventh as a coach, the first away from Chicago.

Looking back, phil Jackson's first Lakers team went 67-15 and beat the Indiana Pacers in six for the franchise's first title since 1988. Shaquille O'Neal swept the regular-season MVP, the All-Star MVP, and the Finals MVP in the same year. He scored 41 to close out Game 6.

The starting five was Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Glen Rice, A.C. Green, and Shaquille O'Neal. Phil Jackson coached the group with Robert Horry as the primary bench scorer.

This was title number 3 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 John Salley (won titles with three franchises).

The 2000 champion had to survive four playoff rounds in a 30-team league. Depth and matchups mattered as much as star power, especially on the road in the conference finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers share a lineage with other banners from 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 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, phil Jackson's first Lakers team went 67-15 and beat the Indiana Pacers in six for the franchise's first title since 1988. Shaquille O'Neal swept the regular-season MVP, the All-Star MVP, and the Finals MVP in the same year. He scored 41 to close out Game 6.

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.