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The franchise began in 1947 after being purchased from a previous disbanded team, Detroit Gems, by Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen of Minnesota.
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The Lakers were up against the Syracuse Nationals for the 1949 finals, in which they won all 6 games, crowning the team as the Champs this year
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2 years later, The Lakers prevail through playoffs and compete against the New York Knicks. It was a hasty series between the two teams, but in the end, Lakers finish off first beating them to a score of 82-65 at home.
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Lakers yet again prove themselves as a power house this season, making them the first NBA's first repeat champions.
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This year the Nationals were holding the Lakers to their neck this series by tying it by one game between the two. The Lakers then took two out of three games in Syracuse, and the teams returned to Minneapolis with the Lakers leading, three games to two. Syracuse survived Game 6 with another two-point victory, but the Lakers made it three titles in a row with an 87-80 triumph in the deciding game.
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The team would then move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles this year.
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With the arrival of the super center Wilt Chamberlain, becoming a unstoppable power on the court.
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The Lakers had a 33 game-winning streak, but ended by the Milwaukee Bucks on the January 9th game.
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Wilt Chamberlain retired from the NBA at the age of 37 and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1978
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The Lakers traded Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers all for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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Jack Kent Cooke sold his sports empire, which included the Lakers and the Great Western Forum, to Santa Monica real estate developer Jerry Buss for $67.5 million.
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Los Angeles picked Earvin "Magic" Johnson, an electrifying 6-9 point guard who had led Michigan State to the 1979 NCAA Championship. "Showtime" had arrived, and a dynasty was established almost overnight.
