The 2008–09 Los Angeles Lakers season was the franchise's 61st season, 60th 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 ...

(NBA) and 49th in Los Angeles. Coming off an appearance in the

2008 NBA Finals The 2008 NBA Finals was the NBA Finals, championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2007–08 NBA season, 2007–08 season and conclusion of 2008 NBA playoffs, the season's playoffs. A best-of-seven playoff series that was ...

, the

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 ...

won their division for the 31st time and appeared in the NBA Finals for the 30th time. With 65 wins, they tied the 1986–87 team for the third most wins in franchise history, the most since 1999–2000, and improved on their 2007–08 record by eight wins. The Lakers sold out all 41 home games for the season, led the NBA in money earned from overall ticket sales, and had the 5th highest increase in gate receipts from the previous season. The Lakers had the third best team offensive rating in the NBA.

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 ...

and

Pau Gasol Pau Gasol Sáez (, ; born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He was a six-time NBA All-Star Game, NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team. Gasol ...

were both selected for the

2009 NBA All-Star Game The 2009 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 15, 2009, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2008–09 season. It was the 58th edition of the NBA All-Star Game, and was played at the US ...

in Phoenix, with head coach Phil Jackson coaching the Western Conference, and with Bryant winning his third All-Star Game MVP award. Bryant finished second in league MVP voting, averaging 26.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game. In addition, Gasol averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1 block per game. Bryant was named both First Team All-NBA and First Team All-Defense, while Gasol was both named to the All-NBA Third Team. Phil Jackson reached 1,000 career wins on December 25, 2008, against the Boston Celtics. With 1,423 games coached, he became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 wins, surpassing former Lakers coach

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

. In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

in five games in the First Round, then defeated the

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

in a hard-fought seven games in the Semifinals, and on May 29, the Lakers defeated the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in the Western Conference Finals to advance to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

for the second consecutive year and 30th time in franchise history, extending their NBA record for most Finals appearances. On June 14, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Superman" for his athletic prowess, he is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defen ...

-led

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

4–1 in the best of seven series to become the 2009 NBA champions, winning their first championship in seven years, their tenth title in Los Angeles, and the 15th overall in franchise history. Kobe Bryant was awarded the 2009

NBA Finals MVP The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of eleven medi ...

. Following the season,

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A small forward, Ariza played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins ...

signed as a free agent with the

. On July 15, 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers won the

2009 ESPY Awards The 2009 ESPY Awards (for the 2008 Olympics and the 2009) were announced from Nokia Theatre on July 15 and showed during the telecast on ESPN, July 19. It was co-presented by Under Armour and Land Rover. Voting The ESPY nomination show was tel ...

for Best Team and Best Coach/Manager for

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jackson is a 13-time NBA champion, having won two as a player and 11 as ...

Key dates

* June 26: The

2008 NBA draft The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008, at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this NBA draft, draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took t ...

took place in New York City. * July 1: The

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

period started. * October 7: The Lakers pre-season started with a game against the

. * October 28: The Lakers won their season opener against the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

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 ...

. * December 8: With a 17–2 season start, the Lakers tied their record for best opening in franchise history. * December 25: The Lakers avenged their

loss with a 92–83 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, ending Boston's 19-game winning streak. * February 2: Kobe Bryant scored 61 points, the most ever scored at Madison Square Garden. * February 8: The Lakers ended the Cavaliers 23-game home winning streak. The Lakers also became the first team in NBA history to win back-to-back games on the road (Boston and Cleveland), against teams with .800-plus win percentage at least 40 games into the season. Cleveland's loss to L.A. was one of only three games they lost at home all season, including the playoffs. * February 14–15: 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend took place. * March 12: The Lakers clinched the Pacific Division title with a win over the

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 ...

. * March 26: The Lakers matched last season's win total (57) with 11 games remaining with a win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. * March 27: The Lakers clinched the top record in the Western Conference with a win against 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 ...

for their 58th win. * April 14: The Lakers ended their regular season with a 125–112 victory over the

, becoming the third-winningest team in franchise history with 65 wins. * April 19: The Lakers played their first playoff game of the season against the

. * April 27: The Lakers won their Western Conference First Round series 4–1 over the Utah Jazz, advancing to the Conference Semi-Finals. * May 17: The Lakers defeated the

in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals and advance to the Western Conference Finals. * May 29: The Lakers defeated the

in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals and advance to the

2009 NBA Finals The 2009 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2008–09 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. A best-of-seven playoff series starting on June 4 and concluding on June 14, 2009, ...

. * June 14: The Lakers defeated the

in Game 5 of

, winning their 15th championship in franchise history.

Offseason

Injuries

Following the

2007–08 NBA season The 2007–08 NBA season was the 62nd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 131–92 to win the 2008 NBA Finals, four games to two. The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2007, a ...

, the Lakers faced two key injuries in the offseason.

Andrew Bynum Andrew Bynum (born October 27, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After they selected him in the first round ...

, who missed the second half of the season and playoffs was rehabilitating and working on conditioning.

, who also missed the second half of the season, but later returned in the playoffs also had to work back into shape. Both players played on opening day. During the 2007–08 season,

suffered a tear in his right pinkie finger. At the time, Bryant decided to forgo surgery and play out the rest of the season and participate in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

. He eventually chose to not to have surgery and let the hand heal naturally.

Departures

The most notable departure was last year's backup power forward

Ronny Turiaf Ronny Turiaf ( , ; born 13 January 1983) is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the ...

to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. As a restricted free agent, the Lakers were allowed to match any offer that another team gave Turiaf. The Lakers chose not to match the 4 year $17 million offer the Warriors gave.

Ira Newble Ira Reynolds Newble II (born January 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Seattle SuperSonics, and Los Angeles Lakers. College career ...

, who the Lakers picked up midway through the 2007–08 season, was not re-signed and remained a free agent for the rest of the season.

Coby Karl Coby Joseph Karl (born June 8, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player who is an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of NBA head coach George Karl. High school ...

was also cut from the roster with Sun Yue replacing him.

Signings

Sasha Vujacic was the first member of the Lakers to sign a contract with the team in the offseason. Still, contract negotiations dragged on longer than usual because he wasn't signed to a tender offer from another team as a restricted free agent. Vujacic considered playing in Europe, but ultimately signed a 3-year contract worth $15 million with the Lakers.

, who is signed for the 2008–09 season, signed a 4-year contract extension for $57.4 million. DJ Mbenga re-signed with the team for one year for approximately $850,000.

Josh Powell Joshua Dominique Powell (born January 25, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Powell won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010, and has also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, Ind ...

was also signed to a one-year contract to replace the departed

The Lakers

2007 NBA draft The 2007 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2007, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amate ...

pick Sun Yue, spent the entire 07–08 season playing for the

Beijing Olympians The Beijing Olympians or Beijing Aoshen Olympians or Beijing Aoshen () was a Chinese professional men's basketball team that formerly played in the Chinese Basketball Association and the West Coast Pro Basketball League. They have also played ...

in the

ABA ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...

. He also played for China in the

. In the offseason the Lakers signed him to a 2-year deal. Joe Crawford,

C.J. Giles Chester Jarell Giles (born September 23, 1985) is an American-Bahraini professional basketball player for Ezzahra Sports of the Championnat National A, as well as national player for Bahrain. He previously played for Pelita Jaya Basketball of t ...

Brandon Heath Brandon Heath (born Brandon Heath Knell; July 21, 1978) is an American contemporary Christian musician. He has released eight studio albums: ''Don't Get Comfortable'' (2006), ''What If We'' (2008), ''Leaving Eden'' (2011), ''Blue Mountain'' (20 ...

, and Dwayne Mitchell signed to the Lakers roster during the offseason but were all released before the season began.

Draft picks

Due to the midseason trade for

in February 2008, the Lakers only had a second round draft pick in 2008. With it they selected Joe Crawford from

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. He signed with the Lakers on August 27, 2008, but was waived October 22, during the 2008–09 pre-season.

Trades

On February 7,

Vladimir Radmanović Vladimir Radmanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Владимир Радмановић; born 19 November 1980) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. In Serbia he played for Crvena zvezda and FMP and in the National Basketball Association ...

was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats in return for

Adam Morrison Adam John Morrison (born July 19, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Morrison played for three years at Gonzaga University and was considered to be one of the top college basketball players in 2005–06. He was a finalist ...

and

Shannon Brown Shannon Brown (born November 29, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He attended Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois, was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2003, and played college basketball for Michigan State ...

. The deal was made largely to save money to be able to resign players during the off-season, notably

Lamar Odom Lamar Joseph Odom (born November 6, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. As a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he won NBA Finals, championships in 2009 and 2010 and was named ...

and

. On February 18, backup center

Chris Mihm Christopher Steven Mihm (born July 16, 1979) is an American former professional basketball center who played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball at Texas, he was drafted with the seventh o ...

was traded to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

for a conditional second round draft pick in 2013. The trade saves the Lakers approximately $2 million in salary and luxury tax money.

Roster

Season summary

When the Lakers made it all the way to the 2008 NBA Finals without starter

, they were seen as the favorites from the Western Conference to return there in 2009. The team's original starting lineup was: C –

PF –

SF –

SG –

PG –

Derek Fisher Derek Lamar Fisher (born August 9, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Fisher played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 18 seasons, spending the majority of his career with the Los ...

Having Radmanović start at SF instead of

was seen as a way to space out the offense since two 7-footers, Bynum and Gasol, were in the starting lineup. With Bynum starting and swingman

healthy, the team started off the season with a 7–0 record. A week later they tied the record for best start in franchise history. They were unable to break the record the next game, losing to 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 the road. After peaking at a 21–3 record the Lakers played 4 games in 5 days on the road. They finished the road trip with a sub-par 2–2 record and were facing a rematch of last year's finals against the

on Christmas Day. Under the national spotlight the two teams kept the game close well into the fourth quarter, where the Lakers finally pulled away in the last 2:48 of the game.

earned his 1,000th career win in the game. The Lakers went to win 10 of 11 games, before losing back to back against the

and the

. The losses revealed how injuries to role players

Luke Walton Luke Theodore Walton (born March 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the lead assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 10 seasons in the NBA as a ...

and

Jordan Farmar Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named the ''Los Angeles Times'' High School Player of the Y ...

could affect the Lakers. Jackson eventually benched the under-performing Radmanović and was replaced by Walton in the starting lineup. Walton was chosen as starter because of his good passing skills and Jackson wanted to emphasize ball movement in the offense. Andrew Bynum was also criticized for his poor play, including a one rebound performance against the

on January 13. Bynum responded by going five straight games with a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

including a career best 42 points against the

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

. Around the same time

also recorded two

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

s for the first and second time in his career since 2005. On January 31, against the

, Bynum left the game with an injured right knee after he was hit by Bryant driving to the basket. An

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

scan revealed he had a tear of the

medial collateral ligament The medial collateral ligament (MCL), also called the superficial medial collateral ligament (sMCL) or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint and occurs in ...

in his right knee and was expected to miss 8–12 weeks. To adjust to the injury Pau Gasol moved from power forward to center to replace Bynum and Lamar Odom was put into the starting lineup as power forward to replace Gasol. On February 7 the Lakers traded

to the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

for

and

. Radmanović saw his role decrease drastically with the Lakers when he was taken out of the starting lineup, often coming in behind Walton and

. In a road game against the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

on February 2, Bryant scored 61 points on 61% shooting in a 126–117 win. Bryant's scoring outburst set a record for the most points ever scored at the historic

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 ...

, breaking

Bernard King Bernard King (born December 4, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player at the small forward position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 14 seasons with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warrior ...

's record he remained for nearly five years until

Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kyam Anthony ( ; born May 29, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Anthony played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is a ten-time NBA All-Star Game, NBA All-Star and six-time All-NBA T ...

broke his own record at this arena scored 62 points in 2014. Bryant's performance was also the highest single game point total of the 2008–2009 season in the NBA. Aside from the team record, another result of the team's success was Kobe Bryant,

and Phil Jackson being selected to play and coach in the

. Bryant was named the All-Star MVP along with former teammate

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 ...

. After the All-Star break, the Lakers won 17 of 19 games. After playing 27 of their first 46 games at home (a league high) the Lakers were on the road for 22 of 31 games; which started with a six-game road trip and ended with a seven-game road trip. The Lakers won the first six games on the road, including wins against the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics and the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

(Cleveland's first of two home losses during the regular season). After the All-Star break, the Lakers won six straight games, but then went 2-5 including going 0–3 on the road. The Lakers redeemed themselves by winning two road games in two days; including a win against the

who were on a 12-game home winning streak and their Western rivals (and second seeded team in the West) the

. In March, after recommending Phil Jackson to, Luke Walton was moved to the bench and was replaced with Trevor Ariza. Jackson hoped he can spark the bench activity which dwindled throughout the year. The change caused a surge in Ariza's production and allowed Walton to play less minutes against opposing teams' starting players. The Lakers were dealing with giving up leads in games and receiving inconsistent production from the reserves. After spending the entire season with the best record in the Western Conference the Lakers clinched the top record in the Western Conference on March 27. Since then they were in a race with the Cleveland Cavaliers to finish with the best record in the league and secure home court advantage throughout the playoffs. With a loss to the Sixers on March 17, the Lakers fell to second place overall. They eventually conceded the best regular-season record to Cleveland and clinched the #2 record in the league in April. On April 9, Bynum returned to the Lakers after missing 31 games. His first game back he started and scored 16 points off of 7-11 shooting and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Postseason

Utah Jazz

The Lakers went 65–17, and clinched the Pacific Division and home court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. In the first round, the Lakers faced the eight-seeded

. The Lakers won Games 1 and 2 at the Staples, but lost Game 3 in Salt Lake City, following a game winner from Deron Williams. All three games saw the Lakers give up big leads, though they were able to still hold the series edge. After a 5-24 performance in Game 3, Kobe Bryant scored 38 points in Game 4 on 16 of 24 shooting in a road win. The Lakers won the series in Game 5 with a 107–96 win at home.

Houston Rockets

In the second round the Lakers faced the Houston Rockets. In Game 1, the Lakers fell behind in the first quarter and never got into a rhythm. As a result, they lost their first home game of the postseason. The Lakers rebounded in Game 2 behind Bryant's 40 point performance and a double double by Gasol and tied the series up at 1 win each. The game was very intense and physical as Derek Fisher of the Lakers and

Ron Artest Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr., November 13, 1979), previously legally named Metta World Peace, is an American former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Un ...

got ejected and technical fouls were assessed to Bryant, Artest,

Luis Scola Luis Alberto Scola Balvoa (born 30 April 1980) is an Argentine former basketball player and the chief executive officer for the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) team Pallacanestro Varese. A three-time All-EuroLeague Team, All-EuroLeague selecti ...

, Luke Walton and Lamar Odom. The series moved to Houston for Game 3 which the Lakers won 108–94 to retake home court advantage in the series. The Lakers went on to lose Game 4 87–99, despite Rockets center

Yao Ming Yao Ming ( zh, c=姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Baske ...

missing the game (and rest of the series) with a broken foot. In Game 5 the Lakers blew out the Rockets by 40 points, tying the Rockets worst loss in franchise history. Game 6 in Houston was a decisive 95-80 Rockets win. The Rockets jumped out to a 17–1 lead to start the game and were up at half time by 16. Game 6 was the most watched basketball game ever on

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

. The final game of the series was played in Los Angeles on May 17. The Lakers routed the Rockets and won the game 89–70. With 2:30 left in the game the Lakers were up 89-58 and Bryant sat out for most of the 4th quarter. Kobe Bryant scored 14 points his lowest number of playoff points. In each game of the series the team that led at the first quarter won the game.

Denver Nuggets

In the third round the Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets. In Game 1, the Lakers fell behind in the first quarter by up to 13 points. In the second quarter the Lakers found their rhythm and took a 55–54 lead at halftime. In the fourth quarter the game was close and

scored 18 of his 40 points in that quarter to lead the Lakers to a 105–103 to take a 1–0 series lead. In Game 2, the Lakers took a 41–27 lead in the second quarter. In the final minutes of the second quarter the Nuggets went on a 14–2 run to get themselves within 1. Ever since that the game was close. The Nuggets were able to get a win at Staples Center 106-103 which gave the Lakers their second home loss of the postseason. In Game 3, there was another close game which the winner was not decided until the Lakers pulled away at 12 seconds when Bryant made 2 free throws. The Lakers stole home court advantage back from the Nuggets with a 41-point performance from

(13 of them in the 4th quarter). The Lakers were able to stop Denver's 16 home game winning streak by defeating the Nuggets 103–97 to take a 2–1 series lead. The Denver Nuggets would even the series by defeating the Lakers 120–101, thanks in part to 49 free throw attempts. The Lakers 120 points were the most the franchise has ever given up on the postseason, and they also allowed Denver to score 43 points in the 4th quarter. The Lakers defeated the Nuggets at Staples Center 103–94 in Game 5. Game 6 was a blowout in which the Lakers defeated the Nuggets 119–92 to advance to its franchise's 30th

appearance.

Orlando Magic

While the Lakers were making their NBA record 30th Finals appearance, the Magic were entering only their second in franchise history. The Lakers had home court advantage due to having the better regular season record. The Lakers earned a blowout win in Game 1, defeating the Magic by 25 points. Game 2 was a tighter contest, with Magic guard Courtney Lee missing a game winning lay-up off an inbounds lob at the end of regulation. Instead, the game went into overtime and the Lakers prevailed. The series switched to Orlando for games 3, 4, and 5. In Game 3 the Magic shot 75% in the first half and 62.5% in the game, both NBA Finals records, to win by 4 and bring the series to 2–1. Game 4 was another close game. Derek Fisher hit two key 3-pointers, one with 4.6 seconds left in regulation to tie the game, and the other with 31.3 seconds to go in overtime. The Lakers moved within one win of their 15th championship by beating the Orlando Magic 99–91 to open a 3–1 series lead. The Lakers defeated the Magic in Game 5 to clinch their 15th NBA Championship with a 99–86 win, winning two consecutive games in Orlando.

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Pre-season

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(5) ,

Honda Center Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, it w ...

(Anaheim, CA)
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(9) ,

(3) ,

Save Mart Center Save Mart Center at Fresno State is a multi-purpose arena, on the campus of California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), located in Fresno, California. An open house was held for the community on November 5, 2003, with the official ribbon ...

(Fresno, CA)
9,557 , 0–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , October 12 ,

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 ...

W 94-89
,

(12) ,

(9) , 3 players tied (3) ,

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)
11,090 , 1–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , October 18 ,

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

W 108-104
,

(28) ,

(8) , Farmar & Odom (5) ,

14,572 , 2-2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , October 19 ,

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 112-89
,

(16) ,

(8) ,

(6) ,

13,772 , 3–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , October 21 , Charlotte
W 102-98
,

(17) ,

(8) ,

(5) ,

San Diego Sports Arena Pechanga Arena is an indoor arena in San Diego, California. Opened in 1966, it is an example of New Formalism architecture and has been designated by the City of San Diego as a historic resource. The arena has been home to numerous athletic team ...

(San Diego, CA)
9,829 , 4–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , October 23 , Charlotte
W 88-77
,

(13) ,

(10) ,

(5) ,

(Anaheim, CA)
12,147 , 5–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 8 , October 24 ,

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

W 105-94
,

(23) , Ariza & Bynum (8) , Farmar &

Fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia * Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elec ...

(5) ,

Citizens Business Bank Arena Toyota Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Ontario, California, United States. The arena hosts local sporting events and concerts and is suitable for indoor events, including basketball, ice hockey, ice shows, boxing, graduation ceremonies and con ...

(Ontario, CA)
10,316 , 6–2

Regular season

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , October 28 ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

W 96-76
,

(23) ,

(11) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , October 29 , @ L.A. Clippers
W 117-79
,

(16) , Bynum & Gasol (9) ,

(6) ,

19,060 , 2–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , November 1 , @

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 ...

W 104-97
,

(33) ,

(16) ,

(4) ,

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 ...

19,651 , 3–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , November 5 , L.A. Clippers
W 106-88
,

(27) ,

(17) , 3 players tied (3) ,

18,997 , 4–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , November 9 ,

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 ...

W 111-82
,

(23) ,

(15) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 5–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , November 11 , @

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 ...

W 106-99
,

(27) ,

(11) , 3 players tied (3) ,

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 ...

20,391 , 6–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , November 12 , @

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 ...

W 93-86
, Bryant &

(20) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

New Orleans Arena Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as SKC) is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the Central Business District, New Orleans, Central Business District, adjacent to the Caesars ...

18,239 , 7–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , November 14 ,

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 ...

L 95-106
,

(29) ,

(10) , Bryant & Gasol (6) ,

18,997 , 7–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 9 , November 18 ,

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 116-109
,

(34) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 8–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 10 , November 20 , @ Phoenix
W 105-92
,

(24) , Gasol & Odom (9) ,

(9) ,

US Airways Center The PHX Arena (formerly America West Arena, US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix Suns Arena and Footprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It opened under the name America West Arena on June 6, 1992, at ...

18,422 , 9–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 11 , November 21 ,

W 104-90
,

(29) ,

(13) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 10–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 12 , November 23 ,

W 118-108
,

(24) ,

(11) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 11–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 13 , November 25 ,

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 ...

W 120-93
,

(26) ,

(8) , Ariza & Bryant (4) ,

18,997 , 12–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 14 , November 28 ,

W 114-107
,

(35) ,

(10) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 13–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 15 , November 30 ,

W 112-99
,

(24) , Bynum & Odom (10) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 14–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 16 , December 2 , @

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 ...

L 117-118
,

(28) , Bynum & Gasol (9) ,

(5) ,

Conseco Fieldhouse CNO Financial Group, Inc. (formerly Conseco, Inc. (from Consolidated National Security Corporation)) is an American financial services holding company based in Carmel, Indiana. Its insurance subsidiaries provide life insurance, annuity and supp ...

16,412 , 14–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 17 , December 3 , @

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 ...

W 114-102
,

(32) ,

(13) , 4 players tied (4) ,

Wachovia Center Wells Fargo Center (to be renamed to Xfinity Mobile Arena effective September 1, 2025) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadel ...

19,119 , 15–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 18 , December 5 , @

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

W 106-104
,

(23) , Bynum & Gasol (10) ,

(7) , Verizon Center
20,173 , 16–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 19 , December 7 ,

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 105-92
,

(20) ,

(14) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 17–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 20 , December 9 , @

L 101-113
,

(28) ,

(12) ,

(4) ,

ARCO Arena ARCO Arena (known as Power Balance Pavilion from 2011 to 2012 and Sleep Train Arena from 2012 until 2022) was an indoor arena located in Sacramento, California, United States. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Sacramento Kings of the Nation ...

16,068 , 17–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 21 , December 10 , Phoenix
W 115-110
,

(28) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 18–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 22 , December 12 ,

W 112-103
,

(32) ,

(11) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 19–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 23 , December 14 ,

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 ...

W 98-86
,

(26) ,

(11) ,

& Gasol (6) ,

18,997 , 20–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 24 , December 16 ,

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 116-114
,

(28) ,

(12) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 21–3 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 25 , December 19 , @

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 87-89
,

(28) ,

(11) ,

(4) ,

American Airlines Arena Kaseya Center is a multi-purpose arena on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. The arena is home to the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. The arena was previously named American Airlines Arena from opening in 1999 until 2021, FTX ...

19,600 , 21–4 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 26 , December 20 , @

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 103-106
,

(41) , Bryant & Odom (8) ,

(4) ,

Amway Arena Amway Arena (originally known as Orlando Arena and later TD Waterhouse Centre) was an indoor arena located in Orlando, Florida. It was part of the Orlando Centroplex, a sports and entertainment complex located in Downtown Orlando. The arena wa ...

17,461 , 21–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 27 , December 22 , @

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

W 105-96
,

(36) ,

(7) ,

(6) ,

FedExForum FedExForum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the NCAA Division I Memphis Tigers men's ba ...

17,456 , 22–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 28 , December 23 , @

W 100-87
,

(26) ,

(8) ,

(5) ,

18,405 , 23–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 29 , December 25 ,

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 ...

, ,

(27) ,

(9) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 24–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 30 , December 28 , Golden State
W 130-113
,

(31) ,

(10) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 25–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 31 , January 2 ,

W 113-100
,

(40) ,

(11) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 26–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 32 , January 4 ,

W 100-86
,

(26) ,

(10) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 27–5 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 33 , January 6 ,

L 105-116
,

(39) , Bynum & Gasol (8) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 27–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 34 , January 7 , @ Golden State
W 114-106
,

(33) ,

(18) ,

(8) ,

Oracle Arena An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

19,596 , 28–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 35 , January 9 ,

W 121-119
,

(36) ,

(11) ,

(13) ,

18,997 , 29–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 36 , January 11 ,

W 108-105
,

(24) ,

(18) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 30–6 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 37 , January 13 , @

W 105-100
,

(33) , Bryant & Gasol (7) , 3 players tied (4) ,

Toyota Center Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it was once th ...

18,557 , 31–6 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 38 , January 14 , @

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 111-112
,

(29) ,

(7) ,

(10) ,

AT&T Center Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center and SBC Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The arena seat ...

18,797 , 31–7 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 39 , January 16 ,

L 103-109
,

(28) ,

(13) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 31–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 40 , January 19 ,

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 ...

W 105-88
,

(22) ,

(13) ,

(12) ,

18,997 , 32–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 41 , January 21 , @ L.A. Clippers
W 108-97
,

(42) ,

(15) ,

(12) ,

19,627 , 33–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 42 , January 22 ,

W 117-97
,

(23) ,

(14) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 34–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 43 , January 25 ,

W 99-85
,

(22) ,

(11) ,

& Gasol (4) ,

18,997 , 35–8 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 44 , January 27 , Charlotte
L 110-117 (2OT)
,

(38) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 35–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 45 , January 30 , @

W 132-119
,

(30) ,

(15) ,

(5) ,

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 ...

19,111 , 36–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 46 , January 31 , @

W 115-98
,

(25) ,

(8) ,

(7) ,

18,119 , 37–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 47 , February 2 , @

W 126-117
,

(61) , Gasol & Odom (14) , Gasol &

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingd ...

(5) ,

19,763 , 38–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 48 , February 4 , @

W 115-107
,

(36) ,

(15) , Bryant &

(5) ,

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

19,800 , 39–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 49 , February 5 , @

W 110-109 (OT)
,

(26) ,

(14) , Bryant &

(5) ,

TD Banknorth Garden TD Garden (named the FleetCenter from opening until 2005 and TD Banknorth Garden until 2009) is a multi-purpose arena in Boston. It is located directly above the MBTA's North Station, and it replaced the original Boston Garden upon opening i ...

18,624 , 40–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 50 , February 8 , @

W 101-91
,

(28) ,

(17) ,

(6) ,

Quicken Loans Arena Rocket Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serves as a sec ...

20,562 , 41–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 51 , February 10 ,

W 105-98
,

(34) ,

(18) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 42–9 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 52 , February 11 , @

L 109-113
,

(37) ,

(19) , Bryant & Farmar (4) ,

EnergySolutions Arena The Delta Center is an indoor venue in Salt Lake City. Opened in 1991, the arena is the home of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). The arena has a seating capacity ...

19,911 , 42–10 , - style="text-align:center;" , colspan="9" style="background:#bbcaff;", All-Star Break , - style="background:#cfc;" , 53 , February 17 ,

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 ...

W 96-83
,

(15) ,

(20) ,

(10) ,

18,997 , 43–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 54 , February 18 , @ Golden State
W 129-121
,

(30) ,

(13) ,

(9) ,

20,007 , 44–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 55 , February 20 ,

W 115-111 (OT)
,

(39) ,

(17) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 45–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 56 , February 22 , @

W 111-108
,

(28) ,

(14) ,

(7) ,

19,177 , 46–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 57 , February 24 , @

W 107-93
,

(36) , Gasol & Odom (8) ,

(6) , Ford Center
19,136 , 47–10 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 58 , February 26 , Phoenix
W 132-106
,

(23) , Gasol & Odom (9) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 48–10 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 59 , February 27 , @

L 79-90
,

(29) ,

(19) ,

(5) ,

19,920 , 48–11 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 60 , March 1 , @ Phoenix
L 111-118
,

(49) ,

(11) ,

(5) ,

18,422 , 48–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 61 , March 3 ,

W 99-89
,

(31) ,

(13) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 49–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 62 , March 6 ,

W 110-90
,

(23) ,

(9) , Bryant &

(4) ,

18,997 , 50–12 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 63 , March 9 , @

L 94-111
,

(26) ,

(13) , Farmar & Mbenga (4) ,

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 ...

20,573 , 50–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 64 , March 11 , @

W 102-96
,

(37) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

18,449 , 51–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 65 , March 12 , @

W 102-95
, Bryant & Gasol (23) ,

(11) ,

(6) ,

18,797 , 52–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 66 , March 15 ,

W 107-100
,

(28) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 53–13 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 67 , March 17 ,

L 93-94
,

(25) ,

(11) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 53–14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 68 , March 19 , Golden State
W 114-106
, Bryant & Gasol (21) ,

(14) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 54–14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 69 , March 21 , @

W 117-109
,

(28) ,

(10) ,

(7) ,

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) ...

23,011 , 55–14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 70 , March 24 , @

W 107-89
,

(19) ,

(14) ,

(7) , Ford Center
19,136 , 56–14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 71 , March 26 , @

W 92-77
,

(30) ,

(11) , Bryant & Odom (7) ,

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

22,076 , 57–14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 72 , March 27 , @

W 103-95
,

(36) , Gasol & Odom (11) ,

(9) ,

Izod Center 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, ...

19,990 , 58–14 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 73 , March 29 , @

L 76-86
,

(21) ,

(11) , Bryant & Odom (4) ,

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 ...

20,148 , 58–15 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 74 , March 31 , @ Charlotte
L 84-94
,

(25) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

Time Warner Cable Arena The Spectrum Center is an indoor arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Located in Uptown, it is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its main tenant, the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). T ...

19,568 , 58–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 75 , April 1 , @

W 104-98
,

(30) ,

(10) ,

(4) ,

Bradley Center The Bradley Center (also known as the BMO Harris Bradley Center under sponsorship agreements) was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United ...

18,717 , 59–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 76 , April 3 ,

W 93-81
,

(23) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 60–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 77 , April 5 , L.A. Clippers
W 88-85
, Bryant & Odom (18) ,

(10) , Bryant & Farmar (5) ,

18,997 , 61–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 78 , April 7 , @

W 122-104
,

(26) ,

(12) ,

(9) ,

17,317 , 62–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 79 , April 9 ,

W 116-102
,

(33) ,

(19) ,

(4) ,

18,997 , 63–16 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 80 , April 10 , @

L 98-106
,

(32) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

20,681 , 63–17 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 81 , April 12 ,

W 92-75
,

(18) ,

(13) , 3 players tied (4) ,

18,997 , 64–17 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 82 , April 14 ,

W 125-112
,

(22) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 65–17

Playoffs

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , April 19 ,

W 113-100
,

(24) ,

(9) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , April 21 ,

W 119-109
,

(26) , Ariza & Bryant (9) , Bryant & Gasol (9) ,

18,997 , 2–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , April 23 , @

L 86-88
,

(21) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

19,111 , 2–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , April 25 , @

W 108-94
,

(38) ,

(15) ,

(6) ,

19,111 , 3–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , April 27 ,

W 107-96
,

(31) ,

(15) , 4 players tied (4) ,

18,997 , 4–1 , - , - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , May 4 ,

L 92-100
,

(32) ,

(13) , Bryant & Gasol (4) ,

18,997 , 0–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , May 6 ,

W 111-98
,

(40) ,

(14) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 1–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , May 8 , @

W 108-94
,

(33) ,

(13) ,

(7) ,

18,495 , 2–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , May 10 , @

L 87-99
,

(30) ,

(9) ,

(5) ,

18,495 , 2–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , May 12 ,

W 118-78
,

(26) ,

(13) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 3–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 6 , May 14 , @

L 80-95
,

(32) ,

(14) ,

(3) ,

18,501 , 3–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , May 17 ,

W 89-70
,

(21) ,

(18) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 4–3 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , May 19 ,

W 105-103
,

(40) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 1–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 2 , May 21 ,

L 103-106
,

(32) ,

(17) ,

(4) ,

18,997 , 1–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , May 23 , @

W 103-97
,

(41) ,

(11) ,

(5) ,

19,939 , 2–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , May 25 , @

L 101-120
,

(34) ,

(10) , Bryant &

(5) ,

20,037 , 2–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , May 27 ,

W 103-94
,

(22) ,

(14) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 3–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 6 , May 29 , @

W 119-92
,

(35) ,

(12) ,

(10) ,

20,053 , 4–2 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , June 4 ,

W 100-75
,

(40) ,

(14) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 1–0 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2 , June 7 ,

W 101-96 (OT)
,

(29) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 2–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , June 9 , @

L 104-108
,

(31) ,

(7) ,

(8) ,

17,461 , 2–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , June 11 , @

W 99-91 (OT)
,

(32) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

17,461 , 3–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 5 , June 14 , @

W 99-86
,

(30) ,

(15) ,

(5) ,

17,461 , 4–1

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

* The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2009 NBA Championship. *

was named the 2009

All-Star

was named the Western Conference coach for the

. It was his fourth time coaching an All-Star team and second time with the Los Angeles Lakers. *

was voted to his 11th consecutive NBA All-Star Game as a starter. *

was selected to his second NBA All-Star Game. *

was named the 2009 NBA All-Star MVP with former teammate

Weekly/Monthly

was named '' Western Conference Coach of the Month'' for games played in October and November. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Week'' for games played from December 22 to December 28. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Month'' for December 2008. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Week'' for games played from January 5 to January 11. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Week'' for games played from January 19 to January 25. *

was named the '' Western Conference Player of the Month'' for January 2009. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Week'' for games played from February 2 to February 8. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Week'' for games played from February 16 to February 27. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Month'' for February. *

was named '' Western Conference Player of the Week'' for games played from March 9 to March 15.

Records

reached 1,000 career wins on December 25, 2008, against the

. With 1,423 games coached, he became the fastest coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 wins, surpassing former Lakers coach

. * With a 17–2 season start, the Lakers tied their record for best opening in franchise history. * On February 2,

scored 61 points against the

, making it the most points scored at

ever. * On February 8, the Lakers became the first team in NBA history to win back-to-back games on the road (Boston and Cleveland), against teams with .800-plus win percentage at least 40 games into the season. *

set a record for highest three-point field goal percentage in franchise history. * On February 10, at 30 years, 171 days of age, Kobe Bryant surpassed

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

(30 years, 176 days) as the youngest player to score 23,000 points in his career. * On February 22,

moved past

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

into 20th place on the NBA's career scoring list. * On February 24,

moved past

Adrian Dantley Adrian Delano Dantley (born February 28, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Dantley is a six-time NBA All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection an ...

into 19th place on the NBA's career scoring list. * On March 6,

moved past

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'1" Center (basketball), center, nicknamed "the Chief", Parish played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 to 199 ...

into 18th place on the NBA's career scoring list. * On March 27

coached 728 games for the Los Angeles Lakers, surpassing the franchise record set by

. * On April 10,

moved past

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on NBA on TNT, TNT and CBS Sports. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "the Bread Truck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", ...

into 17th place on the NBA's career scoring list. * On June 7,

coached his 42nd Finals game, surpassing

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. As a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), he led the Boston Celtics to an unprecedented champio ...

for most NBA Finals games coached. * On June 14,

won his 10th NBA title as a head coach, surpassing

for most all-time.

Transactions

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Los Angeles Lakers Season Articles containing video clips

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 Angeles Lakers seasons NBA championship seasons Western Conference (NBA) championship seasons