Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. Their 14 NBA titles are second only to the Boston Celtics.

Founded as the Minneapolis Lakers in 1947, they were the young league's first dynasty headed by center George Mikan and won five championships between 1949 and 1955. In 1960, the franchise moved to Los Angeles. Led by superstars Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, the Lakers were unable to break the Celtics' dominance. It took until 1972 and the addition of Wilt Chamberlain for their first title in LA.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined the team in 1976 and together with Magic Johnson and later James Worthy, the Lakers won five titles in the 1980s and were dubbed "The Showtime Lakers" for their entertaining fast-break oriented game. Jabbar retired in 1989 as the all-time leading scorer and Magic also had to leave the team after learning of his HIV-infection in 1991.

The Lakers renewed their reign over the NBA from 2000-2002, winning three consecutive titles on the shoulders of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. O'Neal was traded in 2004 and the Lakers went into rebuilding.

This season, the team around Kobe, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum is one of the prime contenders for the NBA crown.

Created by: Ole