The

2002–03 NBA season The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the 2003 NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The Hornets relocate from Ch ...

was the Lakers' 55th season in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, and 43rd in the city of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The Lakers entered the season as the three-time defending champions, having defeated the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

in four straight games in the

2002 NBA Finals The 2002 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2001–02 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Western Conference champion Lo ...

, winning their fourteenth NBA championship. With All-Star center

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...

sidelined early in the season after an off-season right foot and toe surgery, the Lakers got off to a terrible 3–9 start. After he returned, the team only improved slowly, having an 11–19 record 30 games into the season, their worst start in nine years. However, the Lakers would recover from their slow start, and hold a 24–23 record at the All-Star break, ninth place in the Western Conference at the time, and out of playoff position. The Lakers won 11 of their final 13 games ending the season with a 50–32 record, finishing fifth in the Western Conference. The season saw co-captain

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

play all 82 games for the first time in his career, as he averaged 30.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while O'Neal averaged 27.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. In addition, Derek Fisher provided the team with 10.5 points and 3.6 assists per game, while

Rick Fox Ulrich Alexander Fox (born July 24, 1969) is a Bahamian-Canadian actor and former basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and played college basketball for the North Caro ...

contributed 9.0 points per game, and Robert Horry provided with 6.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Kobe and Shaq were both named to the All-NBA First Team, and were both selected to play in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. Kobe was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, and finished in third place in MVP voting with 8 first-place votes, while Shaq was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and finished in fifth place in MVP voting with 3 first-place votes. Facing an uphill battle without home-court advantage, the Lakers managed to beat the 4th-seeded

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

in the Western Conference First Round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, but fell to the top-seeded and eventual champion

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in six games in the Western Conference Semi-finals. The Spurs would reach the

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

to defeat the

in six games, winning their second championship. Following the season, Horry signed as a free agent with the

, while Mark Madsen signed with the

Samaki Walker Samaki Ijuma Walker (born February 25, 1976) is an American retired professional basketball power forward and center (basketball), center. Walker played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball, Louisville Cardinals and wa ...

signed with the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, and Brian Shaw retired. The season was overshadowed by the death of long-time Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, who died after a fall in the summer of 2002. To pay tribute, the Lakers donned an alternate white uniform, which can be only worn on Christmas and Sunday home games. The uniforms made its debut in a home loss against the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

on Christmas Day. They were designed by late owner Jerry Buss' daughter, who is now the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z - clinched division title :y - clinched division title :x - clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Pre-season

, - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , October 8 , L.A. Clippers
L 99-101
, 3 players tied (13) , Bryant & Samake (6) ,

(4) , Centennial Garden (Bakersfield, CA)
10,097 , 0–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , October 11 , Memphis
W 95-87
,

(18) , Soumaila Samake (13) , Jannero Pargo (7) , Alltel Arena (Little Rock, AR)
14,672 , 1-1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , October 12 ,

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, L 81–103 ,

(20) , Soumaila Samake (8) , , Ford Center (Oklahoma City, OK)
13,952 , 1–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , October 17 , Golden State , W 91–89 ,

(22) ,

(13) , , Arrowhead Pond (Anaheim, CA)
17,027 , 2-2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , October 19 , Phoenix , L 84–90 ,

(23) ,

(15) , ,

Thomas & Mack Center The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference. History The facility first ...

(Las Vegas, NV)
16,172 , 2–3 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 6 , October 22 ,

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

L 101-102
, Derek Fisher (18) , Slava Medvedenko (8) ,

(6) , San Diego Sports Arena (San Diego, CA)
13,644 , 2–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , October 24 ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

W 98-93
, Tracy Murray (21) , Soumaila Samake (9) , Slava Medvedenko (5) ,

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

15,127 , 3–4 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , October 25 ,

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

L 88-93
,

(23) , Devean George (9) ,

(12) ,

18,997 , 3–5

Regular season

, - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , October 29 ,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

L 82-87
,

(27) , Bryant & Walker (10) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 0–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 2 , October 30 , @ Portland
L 90–102
,

(25) ,

(10) , Devean George (5) ,

Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Designs vary tremendously and roses may be displayed alongside other plants or grouped ...

20,225 , 0–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , November 1 , @ L.A. Clippers
W 108-93
,

(33) ,

(15) ,

(12) ,

20,474 , 1–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , November 3 , Portland
W 98-95 (OT)
,

(33) ,

(14) ,

(12) ,

18,997 , 2-2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , November 5 , @

L 70-89
,

(15) ,

(13) ,

(9) , Gund Arena
19,833 , 2–3 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 6 , November 7 , @

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

L 95-98 (OT)
,

(41) ,

(12) , Robert Horry (5) , Fleet Center
18,624 , 2–4 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 7 , November 8 , @ Washington
L 99–100
,

(27) ,

(8) , Robert Horry (5) ,

MCI Center Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Chinatown section of the larger Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. The arena was opened on D ...

20,173 , 2–5 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , November 12 ,

L 83–95
,

(21) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 2–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 9 , November 15 , Golden State
W 96-89 (OT)
,

(45) , Fox & Walker (14) , Brian Shaw (8) ,

18,997 , 3–6 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 10 , November 17 ,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

L 89–93
,

(46) , Horry & Walker (9) ,

(4) ,

18,997 , 3–7 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 11 , November 19 , @

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

L 72-98
,

(16) , Fox & Walker (9) ,

(5) ,

American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...

20,096 , 3–8 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 12 , November 20 , @

L 88-95
,

(24) ,

(10) ,

(7) , SBC Center
18,797 , 3–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 13 , November 22 ,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

W 86–73
,

(21) ,

(10) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 4–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 14 , November 24 ,

W 111–99
,

(24) , Bryant & O'Neal (11) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 5–9 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 15 , November 26 , @

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

L 85-97
,

(21) , Robert Horry (9) ,

(4) , American Airlines Arena
16,500 , 5–10 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 16 , November 27 , @

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

L 102–112
,

(38) , Bryant & Fox (10) , Fox & Horry (6) , TD Waterhouse Centre
17,283 , 5–11 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 17 , November 29 , @ Memphis
W 112-106 (OT)
,

(45) ,

(13) ,

(6) , Pyramid Arena
19,351 , 6–11 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 18 , December 1 ,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

L 107-110
,

(31) ,

(13) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 6–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 19 , December 3 , Memphis
W 101-91
,

(28) ,

(10) ,

(11) ,

18,512 , 7–12 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 20 , December 4 , @

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

L 85-93
,

(23) ,

(15) ,

(5) , Delta Center
19,657 , 7–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 21 , December 6 ,

W 105-103
,

(27) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 8–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 22 , December 8 ,

W 110-101
,

(32) ,

(11) ,

(14) ,

18,997 , 9–13 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 23 , December 10 , @ Golden State
L 102-106
,

(36) , Robert Horry (12) ,

(14) , The Arena in Oakland
19,596 , 9–14 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 24 , December 13 ,

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

L 82-98
,

(28) ,

(10) , Derek Fisher (6) ,

18,997 , 9–15 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 25 , December 15 ,

W 107-84
,

(30) ,

(14) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 10–15 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 26 , December 17 , @

L 80-96
,

(17) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, h ...

16,447 , 10–16 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 27 , December 19 , @

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

L 71-98
,

(21) , Robert Horry (11) ,

(5) ,

Continental Airlines Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor sports and concert venue located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. Since closing, ...

20,049 , 10–17 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 28 , December 20 , @

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

L 104-107 (OT)
,

(44) ,

(14) ,

(10) , First Union Center
21,127 , 10–18 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 29 , December 22 , @

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

W 109-107 (OT)
, Bryant & O'Neal (31) ,

(15) , Derek Fisher (7) , Air Canada Centre
19,800 , 11–18 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 30 , December 25 ,

L 99-105
, Bryant & O'Neal (27) ,

(17) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 11–19 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 31 , December 28 , @

W 112-93
,

(39) ,

(13) , Derek Fisher (9) ,

Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as the Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Int ...

19,099 , 12–19 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 32 , December 29 ,

W 104-88
,

(35) ,

(10) ,

(12) ,

18,997 , 13–19 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 33 , January 4 , @ Phoenix
L 93-107
,

(37) ,

(9) ,

(7) , American West Arena
19,023 , 13–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 34 , January 5 , Phoenix
W 109-97
,

(36) ,

(16) ,

(8) ,

18,642 , 14–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 35 , January 7 ,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

W 119-98
,

(45) , Robert Horry (8) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 15–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 36 , January 10 ,

W 115-99
,

(26) ,

(10) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 16–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 37 , January 12 ,

W 106-81
,

(36) ,

(16) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 17–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 38 , January 15 , @

W 90-82
,

(36) , Bryant & O'Neal (11) ,

(4) , New Orleans Arena
18,509 , 18–20 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 39 , January 17 , @

L 104-108 (OT)
,

(31) ,

(13) ,

(9) , Compaq Center
16,285 , 18–21 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 40 , January 20 , L.A. Clippers
W 96-92
,

(32) , O'Neal & Walker (15) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 19–21 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 41 , January 22 , Golden State
L 110-114
,

(28) ,

(9) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 19–22 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 42 , January 24 ,

L 83-89
,

(27) ,

(13) , Bryant & Fisher (5) ,

18,997 , 19–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 43 , January 29 , @ Phoenix
W 99-90
,

(40) ,

(12) ,

(6) , American West Arena
18,437 , 20–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 44 , January 31 , @

W 124-113
,

(38) ,

(10) ,

(6) , ARCO Arena
17,317 , 21–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 45 , February 1 ,

W 99-87
,

(42) ,

(13) , Robert Horry (6) ,

18,997 , 22–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 46 , February 4 , @

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

W 97-94
,

(35) ,

(12) , Fisher & Fox (5) , Conseco Fieldhouse
18,345 , 23-23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 47 , February 6 , @

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

W 114-109
,

(46) , Robert Horry (12) ,

(7) ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

19,763 , 24–23 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , - style="background:#cfc;" , - bgcolor="#bbffbb" , - style="background:#cfc;" , 48 , February 11 ,

W 121-93
,

(42) , Kareem Rush (9) , 4 players tied (5) ,

18,848 , 25–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 49 , February 12 , @

W 113-102
,

(51) ,

(14) , Bryant & Fox (4) ,

17,757 , 26–23 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 50 , February 14 ,

L 95-103
,

(44) , Robert Horry (15) , Robert Horry (6) ,

18,997 , 26–24 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 51 , February 16 ,

L 110-117
,

(40) , Robert Horry (11) , Derek Fisher (8) ,

18,997 , 26–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 52 , February 18 ,

W 106-99 (2OT)
,

(52) , Robert Horry (11) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 27–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 53 , February 19 , @

W 93-87
,

, Bryant & George (6) , Derek Fisher (4) , Delta Center
19,911 , 28–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 54 , February 21 , Portland
W 92-84
,

(40) ,

(12) , Robert Horry (5) ,

18,997 , 29–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 55 , February 23 ,

W 106-101
,

(41) ,

(17) , Kareem Rush (7) ,

18,997 , 30–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 56 , February 25 , L.A. Clippers
W 109-98
,

(33) , Robert Horry (10) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 31–25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 57 , February 27 ,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

W 95-85
,

(35) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 32–25 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 58 , February 28 , @

L 90-107
,

(34) ,

(11) ,

(9) , KeyArena
17,072 , 32–26 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 59 , March 5 ,

W 97-95
,

(26) ,

(11) , Robert Horry (6) ,

18,997 , 33–26 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 60 , March 7 ,

W 106-96
,

(40) ,

(14) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 34–26 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 61 , March 9 ,

W 106-92
,

(39) ,

(10) ,

(9) ,

18,997 , 35–26 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 62 , March 11 , @

L 99-116
,

(36) ,

(10) , Bryant & Fisher (5) ,

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

23,122 , 35–27 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 63 , March 12 , @

L 88-111
,

(24) ,

(13) , Derek Fisher (5) , The Palace of Auburn Hills
22,076 , 35–28 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 64 , March 14 , @

W 106-99
,

(30) ,

(15) ,

(6) ,

20,199 , 36–28 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 65 , March 15 , @

W 98-94
,

(24) ,

(11) , 3 players tied (5) , Bradley Center
18,717 , 37–28 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 66 , March 17 , @ L.A. Clippers
W 102-85
,

(42) , Bryant & O'Neal (7) ,

(6) ,

20,101 , 38–28 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 67 , March 20 , @

L 99-107
,

(34) , Bryant & O'Neal (13) , Robert Horry (5) , ARCO Arena
17,317 , 38–29 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 68 , March 21 ,

W 104-96
,

(48) ,

(20) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 39–29 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 69 , March 23 , @

L 89-98
,

(32) ,

(12) , Derek Fisher (3) , SBC Center
18,797 , 39–30 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 70 , March 25 , @

W 108-91
,

(31) ,

(10) , Bryant & Fisher (6) ,

Philips Arena State Farm Arena is a Multi-purpose stadium, multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrasher ...

19,870 , 40–30 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 71 , March 26 , @

W 96-93
,

(39) ,

(9) ,

(5) , Compaq Center
16,285 , 41–30 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 72 , March 28 , Washington
W 108-94
,

(55) ,

(13) , Derek Fisher (7) ,

18,997 , 42–30 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 73 , March 30 , @

L 98-119
,

(34) , Robert Horry (8) ,

(6) , KeyArena
17,072 , 42–31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 74 , March 31 , Memphis
W 110-94
,

(34) ,

(11) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 43–31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 75 , April 3 , @

W 100-89
,

(31) ,

(17) ,

(6) ,

20,129 , 44–31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 76 , April 4 , @ Memphis
W 102-101
,

(33) ,

(19) ,

(6) , Pyramid Arena
19,351 , 45–31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 77 , April 6 , Phoenix
W 115-113 (OT)
,

(26) ,

(13) , Bryant & O'Neal (7) ,

18,997 , 46–31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 78 , April 8 ,

W 108-99
, Devean George (21) , Horry & O'Neal (10) , Derek Fisher (8) ,

18,997 , 47–31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 79 , April 10 ,

W 117-104
,

(34) ,

(16) , Derek Fisher (8) ,

18,997 , 48–31 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 80 , April 13 , @ Portland
L 99-101
, Bryant & O'Neal (36) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

20,580 , 48–32 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 81 , April 15 ,

W 126-104
,

(32) ,

(8) , Jannero Pargo (5) ,

18,997 , 49–32 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 82 , April 16 , @ Golden State
W 117-111
,

(44) ,

(12) , Robert Horry (6) , The Arena in Oakland
20,234 , 50–32

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 20 , @

W 117–98
,

(39) ,

(10) , Bryant & Horry (8) ,

17,097 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 22 , @

L 91–119
, Bryant & O'Neal (27) ,

(14) ,

(8) ,

17,132 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , April 24 ,

L 110–114 (OT)
,

(30) ,

(17) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , April 27 ,

W 102–97
,

(34) ,

(23) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , April 29 , @

W 120–90
,

(32) ,

(11) , Devean George (6) ,

20,098 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , May 1 ,

W 101–85
,

(31) ,

(17) ,

(9) ,

18,997 , 4–2 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 5 , @

L 82–87
,

(37) ,

(21) ,

(3) , SBC Center
18,797 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 7 , @

L 95–114
, Bryant & O'Neal (27) ,

(10) , Jannero Pargo (3) , SBC Center
18,797 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 9 ,

W 110–95
,

(39) ,

(16) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 11 ,

W 99–95
,

(35) ,

(17) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , May 13 , @

L 94–96
,

(36) ,

(12) ,

(6) , SBC Center
18,797 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 15 ,

L 82–110
,

(31) ,

(10) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 2–4 , -

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Awards and records

All-NBA First Team The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The team has been sel ...

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

Transactions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 Los Angeles Lakers Season Los Angeles Lakers seasons

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

Los Angle