The 2011–12

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 ...

season was the 64th season of the franchise, its 63rd 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 ...

(NBA), and its 52nd season in

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, ...

. For the first time since

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

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 ...

did not return as the Lakers coach and replaced by former

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 ...

head coach Mike Brown. Following the

2011 NBA lockout The 2011 NBA lockout was the fourth and most recent lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Team owners began the work stoppage upon expiration of the 2005 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The 161-day lockout ...

each team only played 66 games instead of the usual 82. At midseason they traded longtime point guard

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 ...

to 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) ...

for Jordan Hill and longtime forward

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 ...

to the

for

Ramon Sessions Ramon Darrell Sessions (born April 11, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Nevada Wolf Pack, earning WAC All-Newcomer Team as a freshman and second-team All-WAC as a junior. He was dr ...

. The Lakers finished 41–25, roughly the equivalent of 51–31, winning the Pacific Division for the 33rd time. They finished the season as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. In 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 ...

, they 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 seven games in the first round, but lost to the eventual Conference champion

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

1–4 in the Western Conference semi-finals. This season marked the final career playoff appearance of

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

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 ...

. During this season, the Lakers were supposed to acquire

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and "the Point God", is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded by some as one of the greatest p ...

from the

New Orleans Hornets 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 a three-team deal that would send

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 ...

, Goran Dragic,

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 ...

, Kevin Martin, and a 2012 1st round pick to the Hornets 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 ...

to the

, but then-NBA Commissioner

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

vetoed the trade. Following the season,

was traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

in a three-team deal.

Key dates

* June 23: The

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponso ...

took place at

Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multipurpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, United States. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Sirens of the Pro ...

in Newark,

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 ...

. * December 19: The Lakers play their first preseason season game 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 ...

. * December 25: The Lakers play their first regular season game against the Chicago Bulls. * April 13: The Lakers clinch a playoff berth. * April 24: The Lakers win the Pacific Division. * April 26: The Lakers play their final game of the season 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 ...

Draft picks

Roster

Season summary

Emergence of All Star Andrew Bynum

At the start of the season,

did not play the first four games due to a suspension he earned in the final game of last year's playoff series against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. In his first game back against the

, he scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to help the Lakers to a 92–89 win. He had his first 20–20 game on January 3 against the

scoring 21 points and grabbing 22 rebounds. On April 11, 2012, Bynum further showed why he should be an all-star when against the San Antonio Spurs he recorded a career high 30 rebounds and helped the Lakers win the game 98–84. His domination on the glass was further shown when the Spurs only managed to grab 32 rebounds as a team. This was all done with

, the Lakers best player sitting out. For the first time he was selected to play in the

All Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

game as the Western Conference's starting center. He was awarded Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of March 12 through 18. Bynum finish the season averaging a career high 18.7 points per game, 11.8 rebounds per game (NBA 3rd overall), and 35.2 minutes per game. His emergence as an all-star and career high numbers sparked a debate of whether Bynum was the best center in the league or

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 ...

. Previously, Howard was seen widely as the undisputed best center in the league.

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 ...

was one of the main supporters of Bynum as the best center in the league.

Post-season summary

Denver Nuggets

The Lakers were matched against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the

2012 NBA Playoffs The 2012 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2011–12 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Th ...

. They won the opening game 103–88 after

had a

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 ...

with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots. The blocked shots broke

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

's franchise record of nine, and tied the NBA playoff record set by

Mark Eaton Mark Edward Eaton (January 24, 1957 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he w ...

and

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

scored 31 points and

added 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. After the Lakers led the series 3–1, Bynum before Game 5 said, "Close-out games are actually kind of easy." The Lakers won the series 4–3, and avoided becoming the ninth team in NBA history to blow a 3–1 lead in a series. Gasol had 23 points, 17 rebounds and six assists, Bynum had 16 points and a career playoff-high 18 rebounds, and

Steve Blake Steven Hanson Blake (born February 26, 1980) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. After winning the 2002 NCAA Championship with Maryland, Blake was selected by the Washington Wizards with the 38th overall pick in the ...

scored a playoff career-high 19 points in a 96–87 win in Game 7. The Lakers blew 16-point lead in the second half before Gasol put the Lakers ahead for good with a tip-in basket with 6:30 to play. Denver had 19 turnovers in the game and shot just 7-of-27 shooting in the fourth quarter. Returning from his seven-game suspension,

Metta World Peace 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 ...

scored 15 points, while Bryant had 17 points added eight assists.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Lakers were then matched up against the second seeded

in the second round of the

. During this series the Lakers did not have home court advantage as they did against Denver. In the first game of the series the Thunder blew the Lakers out 90–119. In the second game, the Lakers led 75–68 with 2:08 to play but were unable to hold on.

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Durant has won two List of NBA champions, NBA champ ...

hit the go ahead bucket with 18.6 seconds to go and

missed a three-pointer in the corner resulting in a 75-76 Laker loss. The Lakers won game 3 at home 99–96.

scored 36 points going 18-18 from the free throw line including the last 2 free throws that put the Lakers up by 3. Game 4 ended with a 100-103 Thunder win. The Lakers held a 9-point lead with 6:01 to play in the 4th quarter but were unable to sustain. This time it was

with the go-ahead three-pointer over

had 38 points to lead the Lakers but

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member o ...

and

were able to both match him combining for 68 points. Ultimately, the eventual Western Conference Champions Thunder proved too much for the Lakers, winning the next game at

Chesapeake Energy Arena Paycom Center (originally known as the Ford Center from 2002 to 2010, Oklahoma City Arena from 2010 to 2011, and Chesapeake Energy Arena from 2011 to 2021) is an arena located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. It opened in 200 ...

90–106, wrapping up the series 1–4.

averaged 31.2 points per game in the series.

, the Lakers other All-Star did not perform up to his usual standards and only averaged 16.6 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game. This was low considering during the regular season he averaged 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, both career highs. This marked the second year in a row the Lakers were defeated in the second round of the playoffs. The previous year they were swept 4–0 by the

Standings

Game Log

Preseason

, - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , December 19 , L. A. Clippers
L 95-114
,

(22) ,

(12) ,

(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 ...

18,643 , 0–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 2 , December 21 , @ L. A. Clippers
L 103-108
,

(26) ,

(11) ,

(8) ,

19,060 , 0–2

Regular season

, - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , December 25 ,

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 ...

L 87-88
,

(28) , 3 players tied (8) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 0–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 2 , December 26 , @

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 91-100
,

(29) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

Power Balance Pavilion 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 ...

17,317 , 0–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , December 27 ,

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 ...

W 96-71
,

(26) ,

Troy Murphy Troy Brandon Murphy (born May 2, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township. He a ...

(11) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 1–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , December 29 ,

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 99-82
,

(28) ,

(10) ,

(6) ,

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

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 92-89
,

(29) ,

(13) ,

(9) ,

18,997 , 3–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 6 , January 1 , @

L 90-99
,

(20) ,

(16) , Bryant &

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 ...

(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 ...

19,155 , 3–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , January 3 ,

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 108-99
,

(37) ,

(22) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 4–3 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 8 , January 5 , @

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 ...

L 96-107
,

(30) ,

(12) ,

(6) ,

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 ...

20,444 , 4–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 9 , January 6 , Golden State
W 97-90
,

(39) ,

(16) , Bryant &

(7) ,

18,997 , 5–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 10 , January 8 ,

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 90-82
,

(26) , Bynum & Gasol (15) ,

(9) ,

18,997 , 6–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 11 , January 10 , Phoenix
W 99-83
,

(48) ,

(12) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 7–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 12 , January 11 , @

W 90-87 (OT)
,

(40) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

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 ...

19,642 , 8–4 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 13 , January 13 ,

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 97-92
,

(42) ,

(11) ,

(10) ,

18,997 , 9–4 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 14 , January 14 , @ L.A. Clippers
L 92-102
,

(42) ,

(14) , 4 players tied (4) ,

19,895 , 9–5 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 15 , January 16 ,

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 73-70
,

(17) ,

(15) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 10–5 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 16 , January 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 87-98
,

(26) ,

(12) ,

(7) ,

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 ...

20,004 , 10–6 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 17 , January 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 80-92
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(30) ,

(12) ,

(8) ,

Amway Center Kia Center (formerly Amway Center) is an indoor arena located in the Downtown Orlando, downtown core of Orlando, Florida. The arena is home to the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL, ...

18,846 , 10–7 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 18 , January 22 ,

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 96-98
,

(33) , 3 players tied (8) ,

(10) ,

18,997 , 10–8 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 19 , January 25 , L.A. Clippers
W 96-91
,

(24) ,

(10) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 11–8 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 20 , January 28 , @

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 ...

L 89-100
,

(27) ,

(15) ,

(9) ,

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 ...

18,027 , 11–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 21 , January 29 , @

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 106-101
,

(35) ,

(14) ,

(7) ,

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 ...

17,551 , 12–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 22 , January 31 , Charlotte
W 106-73
,

(24) ,

(11) ,

Murphy Murphy is an Irish surname meaning "Sea Warrior". Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac Murchaidh"/" Mac Murchadh" (son of "Murchadh") derived ...

(4) ,

18,997 , 13–9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 23 , February 3 , @

W 93-89
,

(22) ,

(17) ,

(9) ,

19,155 , 14–9 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 24 , February 4 , @

L 87-96
,

(26) ,

(16) ,

(4) ,

19,642 , 14–10 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 25 , February 6 , @

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 90-95
,

(28) ,

(20) ,

(6) ,

Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center may refer to: * Wells Fargo Center (Los Angeles), California * Wells Fargo Center (Sacramento), California * Wells Fargo Center (San Francisco), California * Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, California * Wells Fargo C ...

20,064 , 14–11 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 26 , February 9 , @

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 ...

W 88-87 (OT)
,

(27) ,

(17) ,

(4) ,

TD 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 , 15–11 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 27 , February 10 , @

L 85-92
,

(34) ,

(13) ,

(3) ,

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 , 15–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 28 , February 12 , @

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 94-92
,

(27) ,

(17) ,

(6) ,

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 ...

19,311 , 16–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 29 , February 14 ,

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 86-78
,

(20) ,

(15) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 17–12 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 30 , February 17 , Phoenix
W 111-99
,

(36) ,

(14) ,

Blake Blake or Blake's may refer to: People * Blake (given name), a given name of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) * Blake (surname), a surname of English origin (includes a list of people with the name) ** William Blake (1757 ...

& Bryant (6) ,

18,997 , 18–12 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 31 , February 19 , @ Phoenix
L 90-102
,

(32) ,

(12) ,

(6) ,

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 ...

18,023 , 18–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 32 , February 20 ,

W 103-92
,

(28) ,

(19) ,

(4) ,

18,997 , 19–13 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 33 , February 22 , @

W 96-91
,

(24) ,

(14) ,

(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 ...

20,577 , 20–13 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 34 , February 23 , @

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 ...

L 85-100
,

(24) ,

(13) ,

(5) ,

18,203 , 20–14 , - align="center" , colspan="9" bgcolor="#bbcaff", All-Star Break , - style="background:#cfc;" , 35 , February 29 ,

W 104-85
,

(31) ,

(13) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 21–14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 36 , March 2 ,

W 115-107
,

(38) ,

(15) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 22–14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 37 , March 4 ,

W 93-83
,

(33) ,

(13) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 23–14 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 38 , March 6 , @

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 85-88 (OT)
,

(30) ,

(14) ,

(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 , 23–15 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 39 , March 7 , @

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 ...

L 101-106
,

(30) ,

(15) ,

(7) , Verizon Center
20,282 , 23–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 40 , March 9 , @

W 105-102
,

(34) ,

(11) ,

(5) ,

20,164 , 24–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 41 , March 11 ,

W 97-94
,

(26) ,

(14) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 25–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 42 , March 13 , @

W 116-111 (2OT)
,

(37) ,

(16) ,

(8) ,

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 ...

18,119 , 26–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 43 , March 14 , @

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 107-101 (OT)
,

(33) ,

(18) ,

(5) ,

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 ...

17,272 , 27–16 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 44 , March 16 ,

W 97-92
,

(28) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 28–16 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 45 , March 18 ,

L 99-103
,

(33) ,

(11) ,

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People *Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom * Barnes, London, England ** Barnes railway station **Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes High Stree ...

& Sessions (6) ,

18,997 , 28–17 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 46 , March 20 , @

L 104-107
,

(29) ,

(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 ...

18,391 , 28–18 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 47 , March 21 , @

W 109-93
,

(30) ,

& Gasol (9) ,

(9) ,

20,664 , 29–18 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 48 , March 23 ,

W 103-96
,

(28) ,

(16) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 30–18 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 49 , March 25 ,

L 96-102
,

(30) ,

(14) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 30–19 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 50 , March 27 , @ Golden State
W 104-101
,

(30) ,

(17) ,

(5) ,

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 , 31–19 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 51 , March 29 ,

L 93-102
,

(25) ,

(13) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 31–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 52 , March 31 ,

W 88-85
,

(21) ,

(11) ,

(10) ,

18,997 , 32–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 53 , April 1 , Golden State
W 120-112
,

(40) , Gasol &

(11) ,

(9) ,

18,897 , 33–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 54 , April 3 ,

W 91-87
,

(24) ,

(12) ,

(11) ,

18,997 , 34–20 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 55 , April 4 , @ L.A. Clippers
W 113-108
,

(36) ,

(8) ,

19,819 , 35–20 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 56 , April 6 ,

L 107-112
,

(28) ,

Matt Barnes Matt Kelly Barnes (born March 9, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies an ...

(13) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 35–21 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 57 , April 7 , @ Phoenix
L 105-125
,

(30) ,

(18) ,

(9) ,

18,237 , 35–22 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 58 , April 9 , @

W 93-91
,

(25) ,

(11) ,

(6) ,

17,275 , 36–22 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 59 , April 11 , @

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 ...

W 98-84
,

(26) ,

(30) ,

(5) ,

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 ...

18,581 , 37–22 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 60 , April 13 ,

W 103-97
,

(30) ,

& Gasol (10) ,

(6) ,

18,997 , 38–22 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 61 , April 15 ,

W 112-108 (OT)
,

(23) ,

(16) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 39–22 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 62 , April 17 ,

L 91-112
,

(21) , Bynum & Gasol (7) ,

(7) ,

18,997 , 39–23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 63 , April 18 , @ Golden State
W 99-87
,

(31) ,

(11) ,

18,547 , 40–23 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 64 , April 20 , @

L 97-121
,

(18) ,

(8) ,

(5) ,

18,581 , 40–24 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 65 , April 22 ,

W 114-106 (2OT)
,

(26) , Jordan Hill (15) ,

(9) ,

18,997 , 41–24 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 66 , April 26 , @

L 96-113
,

Josh McRoberts Joshua Scott McRoberts (born February 28, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McRoberts, a power forward, played college basketball for the Duke Blue ...

(16) ,

(9) ,

(6) ,

16,281 , 41–25

Playoffs

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 1 , April 29 ,

W 103-88
,

(31) ,

(13) ,

(8) ,

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

W 104-100
,

(38) ,

Hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

& Gasol (10) ,

(5) ,

18,997 , 2–0 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 3 , May 4 , @

L 84-99
,

(22) ,

(12) , Bryant & Sessions (6) ,

19,155 , 2–1 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 4 , May 6 , @

W 92-88
,

(22) , Jordan Hill (11) , Bryant & Gasol (6) ,

19,155 , 3–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , May 8 ,

L 99-102
,

(43) ,

(11) ,

(4) ,

18,997 , 3–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 6 , May 10 , @

L 96-113
,

(31) ,

(16) ,

& Bryant (4) ,

19,770 , 3–3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , May 12 ,

W 96-87
,

(23) ,

(18) ,

(8) ,

18,997 , 4–3 , - , - style="background:#fcc;" , 1 , May 14 , @

L 90-119
, Bryant & Bynum (20) ,

(14) ,

(4) ,

18,203 , 0–1 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 2 , May 16 , @

L 75-77
, Bryant & Bynum (20) ,

(11) ,

(4) ,

18,203 , 0–2 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 3 , May 18 ,

W 99-96
,

(36) , Bynum & Gasol (11) , Bryant & Gasol (6) ,

18,997 , 1–2 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 4 , May 19 ,

L 100-103
,

(38) ,

(9) , Bryant & Sessions (5) ,

18,997 , 1–3 , - style="background:#fcc;" , 5 , May 21 , @

L 90-106
,

(42) ,

(16) ,

(5) ,

18,203 , 1–4

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

won the

J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award The J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to a player, coach, or staff member who showed "outstanding service and dedication to the community." The winner was selected by the Pro Bask ...

Week/month

The following players were named the Western Conference Players of the Week. The following players were named Western Conference Players of the Month.

All-Star

was voted as an All-Star starter for the 14th consecutive time. *

was voted as an All-Star starter for the 1st time.

Records

* January 1:

became the youngest player to score 28,000 career points at 33 years and 131 days old. * March 27:

passed

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

for second most points scored by a player for a single franchise after scoring 30 points against 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 ...

. *

recorded 10 blocks against the

in Game 1 of the NBA Division playoffs tying an NBA playoff record set by

and

Team records

* January 28: Kobe Bryant made his 7,161st free throw against the

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

, breaking the Lakers all-time free throw record set by

Jerry West Jerry Alan West (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ...

. * January 29: Kobe Bryant made his 9,936th field goal against the

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 ...

breaking the Lakers all-time record set by

. * February 6: Kobe Bryant passed

into 5th place on the all-time scoring list against the

. * February 10: Kobe Bryant made his 10,000th career field goal in a 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 ...

. * March 9:

, at 33 years and 200 days old, became the youngest player to score 29,000 points in a game against the

Milestones

* January 20:

power forward

scored his 14,000th career point in a game against the

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 ...

Team milestones

Transactions

Free agents

Additions

Power Forwards

, and Guard/Forward

Jason Kapono Jason Alan Kapono (born February 4, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first National Basketball Association (NBA) player to lead the league in three-point field goal percentage in two consecutive seasons, and ...

, who was later traded to the

Subtractions

Derrick Caracter Derrick Eugene Caracter (born May 4, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Capitanes de Arecibo of the Puerto Rican Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He played college basketball for Louisville and UTEP. Cara ...

Pre-season trades

In December 2011, NBA commissioner

vetoed a proposed three-team trade that would have sent

to the Lakers,

to the

, and

to the

. Stern said the Hornets were better off keeping Paul than accepting the terms of the deal. The league had acquired the Hornets from former owner

George Shinn George Shinn (born May 11, 1941) is an American businessman. He is the former owner of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, as well as the Charlotte Knights and Gastonia Rangers minor league baseball teams, along with the Raleigh–Durham Skyha ...

, and the commissioner's office had final authority over all management decisions. Odom felt "disrespected" after he learned of the Hornets trade publicly, and he requested a trade from the Lakers to another contending team. The Lakers were also concerned that Odom's contract was pricey since he was not needed to initiate the

triangle offense The triangle offense is an offensive strategy used in basketball. Its basic ideas were initially established by Hall of Fame coach Sam Barry at the University of Southern California. His system was further developed by former Houston Rockets and ...

with Mike Brown replacing Phil Jackson as Lakers coach. Odom was traded to the

for a first-round draft pick and an $8.9 million trade exception on December 11.

Mid-season trades

On March 15, 2012, the Lakers traded

, and a 2012 first-round draft pick to the

for

Christian Eyenga Christian Eyenga Moenge (born June 22, 1989) is a Congolese professional basketball player for Lobos Plateados de la BUAP of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). Eyenga was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 30th pick in ...

, and the right to swap a 2013 first-round pick for Miami's, currently owned by Cleveland. They also traded longtime Laker and co-captain Derrick Fisher and a 2012 first-round draft pick to the

for Jordan Hill. These trades gave them the younger, quicker starting point guard they had been looking for to compete in a league that featured quick, explosive point guards on almost every team. Hill bolstered the Laker frontline which featured oft-injured

. Both Sessions and Hill added youth to a Laker team filled with old veterans. Although Hill did not play immediately, he later planted himself as a key bench player after his breakout game against the

. After

was ejected for elbowing

James Harden James Edward Harden Jr. (born August 26, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is regarded by some as one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA hist ...

, the shorthanded Lakers called upon Hill. In his first game with significant minutes for the Lakers, he scored 14 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots. Not only did he play an important role in both overtime periods, he was so productive that Coach Mike Brown played Hill instead of Bynum, the Lakers' all star center. Hill helped the Lakers defeat the Thunder, 114–106.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2011-12 Los Angeles Lakers Season Los Angeles Lakers seasons