Los Angeles Lakers, professional basketball team, one of five teams in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). One of the league's most successful franchises, the Lakers have won 14 championships since the NBA was founded. The team plays at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Originally based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the franchise takes its name from that state's slogan, "Land of 10,000 Lakes."
The Minneapolis Lakers joined the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1947. With George Mikan, a 6-ft, 10-in (2.1-m) center, leadin…
