1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 43rd season of the franchise, 41st in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and 29th in Los Angeles.[1] This would also be the final season for All-Star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. During the off-season, the Lakers signed free agent Orlando Woolridge.[2] The Lakers entered the season as the two-time defending NBA champions. The team won 15 of their first 18 games, held a 32–15 record at the All-Star break, and finished with a 57–25 record, earning them the top playoff seed in the Western Conference.[3]

1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachPat Riley
OwnersJerry Buss
ArenaGreat Western Forum
Results
Record57–25 (.695)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Pacific)
Conference: 1st (Western)
Playoff finishNBA Finals
(Lost to Pistons 0–4)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionKHJ-TV
Prime Ticket
(Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz)
RadioKLAC
(Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz)

Magic Johnson averaged 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 12.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, won the Most Valuable Player award,[4] and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while James Worthy averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and Byron Scott provided the team with 19.6 points and 1.5 steals per game. In addition, A.C. Green provided with 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while being selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and Abdul-Jabbar contributed 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Woolridge provided with 9.7 points per game, while Mychal Thompson averaged 9.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and defensive guard Michael Cooper contributed 7.3 points and 3.9 assists per game.[5] Johnson, Worthy and Abdul-Jabbar were all selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game, although Johnson did not participate due to a hamstring injury.[6] Head coach Pat Riley was selected to coach the Western Conference.[7]

After going undefeated by sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers, 3–0 in the Western Conference First Round,[8] then sweeping the Seattle SuperSonics, 4–0 in the Western Conference Semi-finals,[9] and sweeping the Phoenix Suns, 4–0 in the Western Conference Finals,[10] the Lakers were seen as the favorites in the 1989 NBA Finals, in a rematch against the Detroit Pistons, who they defeated in last season's NBA Finals in a hard fought seven games.[11] However, after injuries to their starting backcourt of Johnson and Scott,[12][13] the Lakers were swept by the Pistons in four straight games. After the finals concluded, Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement after twenty seasons in the NBA.[14] Also following the season, Tony Campbell signed as a free agent with the newly expansion Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 1988–89 season marked an end to a run of eight consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances for the Lakers, the most since the 1968–69 Boston Celtics, as in the following season, the Lakers would lose in the Conference Semifinals to the Phoenix Suns in five games.

Draft picks
Main article: 1988 NBA Draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
125David RiversPG United StatesNotre Dame

Roster
1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
C 33 Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem (C) 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1947–04–16 UCLA
F 19 Campbell, Tony 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1962–05–07 Ohio State
G 21 Cooper, Michael 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1956–04–15 New Mexico
F 45 Green, A. C. 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1963–10–04 Oregon State
G 32 Johnson, Magic (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–08–14 Michigan State
F 3 Lamp, Jeff 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1959–03–09 Virginia
C 31 McNamara, Mark 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1959–06–08 California
G 14 Rivers, David 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1965–01–20 Notre Dame
G 4 Scott, Byron 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1961–03–28 Arizona State
C 43 Thompson, Mychal 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 226 lb (103 kg) 1955–01–30 University of Minnesota
F 0 Woolridge, Orlando 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–12–16 Notre Dame
F 42 Worthy, James 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1961–02–27 North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Regular season

Season standings
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers 5725.695–35–622–1925–9
x-Phoenix Suns 5527.671235–620–2123–11
x-Seattle SuperSonics 4735.5731031–1016–2520–14
x-Golden State Warriors 4339.5241429–1214–2715–19
x-Portland Trail Blazers 3943.4761828–1311–3017–17
Sacramento Kings 2755.3293021–206–3512–22
Los Angeles Clippers 2161.2563617–244–377–27
# Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 c-Los Angeles Lakers5725.695–
2 y-Utah Jazz5131.6226
3 x-Phoenix Suns5527.6712
4 x-Seattle SuperSonics4735.57310
5 x-Houston Rockets4537.54912
6 x-Denver Nuggets4438.53713
7 x-Golden State Warriors4339.52414
8 x-Portland Trail Blazers3943.47618
9 Dallas Mavericks3844.46319
10 Sacramento Kings2755.32930
11 San Antonio Spurs2161.25636
12 Los Angeles Clippers2161.25636
13 Miami Heat1567.18342

Record vs. opponents
1988-89 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL NJN NYK PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta —3–14–14–24–21–10–21–51–11–15–12–01–11–16–04–12–22–21–11–12–01–11–11–13–1
Boston 1–3—6–01–31–41–11–11–31–11–12–32–01–12–02–25–13–33–30–21–12–02–00–21–12–4
Charlotte 1–40–6—1–40–40–20–20–40–20–22–22–00–21–10–42–42–43–30–20–21–12–01–11–11–5
Chicago 2–43–14–1—0–62–01–10–61–11–14–21–12–02–06–02–23–21–31–12–02–02–02–00–23–1
Cleveland 2–44–14–06–0—2–02–03–31–11–15–11–10–22–03–34–02–23–22–02–02–02–01–11–12–2
Dallas 1–11–12–00–20–2—3–30–21–31–51–13–10–46–00–21–10–21–11–32–22–25–12–24–21–1
Denver 2–01–12–01–10–23–3—1–13–14–21–12–21–35–10–21–11–11–11–32–23–13–32–23–31–1
Detroit 5–13–14–06–03–32–01–1—1–11–14–22–02–02–02–44–00–45–02–01–12–02–02–02–05–0
Golden State 1–11–12–01–11–13–11–31–1—1–31–15–12–34–00–22–02–01–12–42–42–33–12–42–21–1
Houston 1–11–12–01–11–15–12–41–13–1—2–02–21–34–21–12–00–20–21–33–12–26–02–22–40–2
Indiana 1–53–22–22–41–51–11–12–41–10–2—1–10–21–12–41–30–50–41–12–01–12–01–11–11–3
L.A. Clippers 0–20–20–21–11–11–32–20–21–52–21–1—1–51–30–21–10–20–21–51–52–33–11–41–30–2
L.A. Lakers 1–11–12–00–22–04–03–10–23–23–12–05–1—4–01–11–11–12–03–35–05–13–14–21–31–1
Miami 1–10–21–10–20–20–61–50–20–42–41–13–10–4—0–21–11–10–20–40–41–32–40–41–50–2
Milwaukee 0–62–24–00–63–32–02–04–22–01–14–22–01–12–0—4–11–33–11–12–02–01–11–11–14–1
New Jersey 1–41–54–22–20–41–11–10–40–20–23–11–11–11–11–4—2–41–51–10–21–11–12–00–21–5
New York 2–23–34–22–32–22–01–14–00–22–05–02–01–11–13–14–2—2–41–12–01–11–11–11–15–1
Philadelphia 2–23–33–33–12–31–11–10–51–12–04–02–00–22–01–35–14–2—0–21–12–01–11–11–14–2
Phoenix 1–12–02–01–10–23–13–10–24–23–11–15–13–34–01–11–11–12–0—2–35–13–14–12–22–0
Portland 1–11–12–00–20–22–22–21–14–21–30–25–10–54–00–22–00–21–13–2—3–34–02–40–41–1
Sacramento 0–20–21–10–20–22–21–30–23–22–21–13–21–53–10–21–11–10–21–53–3—2–21–51–30–2
San Antonio 1–10–20–20–20–21–53–30–21–30–60–21–31–34–21–11–11–11–11–30–42–2—0–41–51–1
Seattle 1–12–01–10–21–12–22–20–24–22–21–14–12–44–01–10–21–11–11–44–25–14–0—3–11–1
Utah 1–11–11–12–01–12–43–30–22–24–21–13–13–15–11–12–01–11–12–24–03–15–11–3—2–0
Washington 1–34–25–11–32–21–11–10–51–12–03–12–01–12–01–45–11–52–40–21–12–01–11–10–2—

Playoffs
1989 playoff game log
First Round: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 27 Portland W 128–108 Magic Johnson (30) Scott, Abdul-Jabbar (8) Magic Johnson (16) Great Western Forum
17,505		 1–0
2 April 30 Portland W 113–105 Magic Johnson (35) A. C. Green (13) Magic Johnson (12) Great Western Forum
17,505		 2–0
3 May 3 @ Portland W 116–108 Byron Scott (25) A. C. Green (13) Magic Johnson (7) Memorial Coliseum
12,880		 3–0
Conference Semifinals: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 7 Seattle W 113–102 James Worthy (28) James Worthy (12) Magic Johnson (14) Great Western Forum
17,505		 1–0
2 May 10 Seattle W 130–108 James Worthy (30) A. C. Green (8) Magic Johnson (12) Great Western Forum
17,505		 2–0
3 May 12 @ Seattle W 91–86 James Worthy (20) Magic Johnson (9) Magic Johnson (14) Kingdome
14,541		 3–0
4 May 14 @ Seattle W 97–95 James Worthy (33) A. C. Green (10) Magic Johnson (9) Kingdome
14,006		 4–0
Conference Finals: 4–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 May 20 Phoenix W 127–119 James Worthy (32) A. C. Green (10) Magic Johnson (12) Great Western Forum
17,505		 1–0
2 May 23 Phoenix W 101–95 Byron Scott (30) Magic Johnson (9) Magic Johnson (14) Great Western Forum
17,505		 2–0
3 May 26 @ Phoenix W 110–107 James Worthy (29) James Worthy (12) Magic Johnson (11) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,471		 3–0
4 May 28 @ Phoenix W 122–117 Byron Scott (35) A. C. Green (11) Magic Johnson (20) Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,471		 4–0
NBA Finals: 0–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 June 6 @ Detroit L 97–109 Johnson, Worthy (17) A. C. Green (8) Magic Johnson (14) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454		 0–1
2 June 8 @ Detroit L 105–108 Cooper, Worthy (19) A. C. Green (9) Magic Johnson (9) The Palace of Auburn Hills
21,454		 0–2
3 June 11 Detroit L 110–114 James Worthy (26) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) Michael Cooper (13) Great Western Forum
17,505		 0–3
4 June 13 Detroit L 97–105 James Worthy (40) A. C. Green (12) Michael Cooper (9) Great Western Forum
17,505		 0–4
1989 schedule
  • On June 28, 1989, after twenty professional seasons, Abdul-Jabbar announced his retirement. On his "retirement tour" he received standing ovations at all the games, home and away.

Awards and honors
  • A. C. Green, NBA All-Defensive Second Team
  • Magic Johnson, NBA Most Valuable Player
  • Magic Johnson, NBA All-First Team

References
  1. 1988-89 Los Angeles Lakers
  2. "Sports People; Lakers Sign Woolridge". The New York Times. August 11, 1988. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  3. "1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. "SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Johnson Is M.V.P. For a Second Time". The New York Times. May 23, 1989. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  5. "1988–89 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  6. "RESULTS PLUS". The New York Times. February 9, 1989. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  7. "1989 NBA All-Star Game: West 143, East 134". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  8. "Knicks Anticipate Facing Bulls in Next Round". The New York Times. May 5, 1989. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  9. "Jordan Digs a Deeper Hole for Knicks". The New York Times. May 15, 1989. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  10. "Lakers Make a Full Sweep Into Final". The New York Times. May 29, 1989. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  11. "Can Lakers sweep Pistons in Finals?". Vidette-Messenger of Porter County. Valparaiso, Indiana. June 6, 1989. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Brown, Clifton (June 10, 1989). "BASKETBALL; Johnson's Leg Injury Hurts Lakers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  13. "If Magic rests, Rivers must get into flow". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. June 11, 1989. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Pistons Earn First Title by Sweeping Lakers". The New York Times. June 14, 1989. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
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