1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1995–96 NBA season was the Lakers' 48th season in the National Basketball Association, and 36th in the city of Los Angeles.[1] It was also the highlight of retired All-Star guard and Lakers legend Magic Johnson making a comeback.[2][3] The Lakers played around .500 in the first few months before Johnson's arrival on January 30, in a 128–118 home victory over the Golden State Warriors.[4][3] The team won ten of their twelve games in February, which included an 8-game winning streak. However, in March, after a game against the Seattle SuperSonics, scoring leader Cedric Ceballos missed the team's charter flight to Seattle without explanation. The Lakers were scheduled to play the Sonics again. Ceballos went missing for a few days, and was suspended without pay.[5] Their troubles continued as Nick Van Exel shoved a referee during a road game against the Denver Nuggets on April 9, and was suspended for the final seven games of the regular season.[6] Magic was also suspended for three games for bumping into a referee during a home game against the Phoenix Suns on April 14.[7] The Lakers finished second in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record.[8]

1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season
Head coachDel Harris
General managerJerry West
Owner(s)Jerry Buss
ArenaGreat Western Forum
Results
Record53–29 (.646)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Pacific)
Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(Lost to Rockets 1–3)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionPrime Sports West, KCAL
RadioAM 570 KLAC

Ceballos averaged 21.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Van Exel provided the team with 14.9 points and 6.9 assists per game, and Johnson played a sixth man role, averaging 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game off the bench in 32 games, starting in just nine of them. He also finished in fifth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.[9] In addition, Elden Campbell averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, while Vlade Divac provided with 12.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and second-year guard Eddie Jones contributed 12.8 points and 1.8 steals per game. Off the bench, Anthony Peeler contributed 9.7 points per game, and Sedale Threatt provided with 7.3 points and 3.3 assists per game.[10]

However, in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Lakers lost to the 5th-seeded, and reigning champion Houston Rockets in four games. After the defeat, Magic decided to retire for the second time and for good.[11][12] Following the season, Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for 1996 NBA draftee, and high school basketball star Kobe Bryant,[13] while Peeler and George Lynch were both dealt to the Vancouver Grizzlies,[14] and Threatt was released to free agency.

NBA Draft
Main article: 1995 NBA Draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
2 37 Frankie King Guard  United States Western Carolina

Roster
1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
F 43 Blount, Corie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–01–04 Cincinnati
F 41 Campbell, Elden 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1968–07–23 Clemson
F 23 Ceballos, Cedric 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1969–08–02 Cal State Fullerton
C 12 Divac, Vlade 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 1968–02–03 Yugoslavia
F 32 Johnson, Magic 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–08–14 Michigan State
G 25 Jones, Eddie 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1971–10–20 Temple
G 4 King, Frankie  6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1972–06–06 Western Carolina
F 34 Lynch, George 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1970–09–03 North Carolina
F 2 Miller, Anthony  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1971–10–22 Michigan State
G 1 Peeler, Anthony 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1969–11–25 Missouri
C 24 Roberts, Fred 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1960–08–14 BYU
F 7 Strong, Derek 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–02–09 Xavier
G 3 Threatt, Sedale 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1961–09–10 West Virginia Tech
G 9 Van Exel, Nick 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1971–11–27 Cincinnati
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

Regular season

Magic's Comeback

In the 1995–96 NBA season, Johnson made a short-lived second comeback as a player from January 1996 to May 1996. In this time, he had bulked up from his self-reported weight of 235 lb in 1992[15] to 255 lb in order to play power forward, a much more physical position than his usual point guard role. At age 36, Johnson played the last 32 games of the season, averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, and Johnson retired for good. Johnson explained his comeback with the words: "I am going out on my terms, something I couldn't say when I aborted a comeback in 1992."[16]

Season standings
Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Seattle SuperSonics6418.780–38–326–1521–3
x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461130–1123–1817–7
x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372026–1518–2311–13
x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002325–1616–259–15
x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762526–1513–2811–13
Golden State Warriors3646.4392823–1813–287–17
Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543519–2210–317–17
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 c-Seattle SuperSonics *6418.780–82
2 y-San Antonio Spurs *5923.720582
3 x-Utah Jazz5527.671982
4 x-Los Angeles Lakers5329.6461182
5 x-Houston Rockets4834.5851682
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4438.5372082
7 x-Phoenix Suns4141.5002382
8 x-Sacramento Kings3943.4762582
9 Golden State Warriors3646.4392882
10 Denver Nuggets3547.4272982
11 Los Angeles Clippers2953.3543582
12 Minnesota Timberwolves2656.3173882
13 Dallas Mavericks2656.3173882
14 Vancouver Grizzlies1567.1834982

Record vs. opponents
1995-96 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHA CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIA MIL MIN NJN NYK ORL PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA TOR UTA VAN WAS
Atlanta –4–03–10–43–11–11–12–21–11–11–32–00–22–22–21–14–02–12–22–10–22–02–00–20–24–01–12–01–3
Boston 0–4–2–20–31–30–21–12–10–21–10–42–00–23–13–12–02–20–41–34–01–10–22–00–20–23–10–21–12–2
Charlotte 1–32–2–1–33–12–02–01–30–20–21–31–12–02–23–11–10–33–00–43–12–01–11–10–20–23–11–12–03–1
Chicago 4–03–03–1–4–02–01–14–02–02–02–22–02–03–14–02–03–03–13–14–01–12–02–02–01–13–12–02–04–0
Cleveland 1–33–11–30–4–2–01–12–22–01–12–22–02–01–34–02–01–23–11–24–02–01–11–10–20–23–10–22–03–1
Dallas 1–12–00–20–20–2–2–20–22–21–30–22–20–40–21–10–41–10–21–10–21–30–42–22–22–21–11–34–00–2
Denver 1–11–10–21–11–12–2–1–12–21–30–21–32–20–21–14–00–21–11–12–03–10–40–40–41–32–03–13–11–1
Detroit 2–21–23–10–42–22–01–1–2–01–12–22–00–21–32–21–14–00–41–34–02–02–01–12–01–14–00–22–01–2
Golden State 1–12–02–00–20–22–22–20–2–2–21–13–11–31–11–13–12–00–20–22–01–31–31–31–30–41–11–34–01–1
Houston 1–11–12–00–21–13–13–11–12–2–2–04–03–10–22–02–22–00–20–22–03–12–22–21–30–42–02–24–01–1
Indiana 3–14–03–12–22–22–02–02–21–10–2–2–01–13–03–11–11–31–32–23–11–11–10–21–12–04–00–22–03–0
L.A. Clippers 0–20–21–10–20–22–23–10–21–30–40–2–0–41–11–13–11–11–10–22–03–12–22–21–30–40–21–33–11–1
L.A. Lakers 2–02–00–20–20–24–02–22–03–11–31–14–0–2–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–12–23–11–32–22–02–24–01–1
Miami 2–21–32–21–33–12–02–03–11–12–00–31–10–2–3–01–15–01–31–33–11–10–21–11–10–22–10–21–12–2
Milwaukee 2–21–31–30–40–41–11–12–21–10–21–31–10–20–3–1–11–32–21–32–10–22–00–21–10–22–20–21–11–3
Minnesota 1–10–21–10–20–24–00–41–11–32–21–11–31–31–11–1–1–10–20–21–11–30–43–11–30–41–11–32–20–2
New Jersey 0–42–23–00–32–11–12–00–40–20–23–11–10–20–53–11–1–2–20–42–20–21–11–10–20–22–20–22–02–2
New York 1–24–00–31–31–32–01–14–02–02–03–11–11–13–12–22–02–2–1–33–10–20–20–21–11–14–01–11–13–1
Orlando 2–23–14–01–32–11–11–13–12–02–02–22–01–13–13–12–04–03–1–4–02–01–11–11–11–12–11–12–04–0
Philadelphia 1–20–41–30–40–42–00–20–40–20–21–30–21–11–31–21–12–21–30–4–0–20–20–20–20–23–11–11–11–3
Phoenix 2–01–10–21–10–23–11–30–23–11–31–11–31–31–12–03–12–02–00–22–0–2–22–21–30–42–01–34–02–0
Portland 0–22–01–10–21–14–04–00–23–12–21–12–22–22–00–24–01–12–01–12–02–2–1–31–31–32–01–32–20–2
Sacramento 0–20–21–10–21–12–24–01–13–12–22–02–21–31–12–01–31–12–01–12–02–23–1–1–30–42–00–42–20–2
San Antonio 2–02–02–00–22–02–24–00–23–13–11–13–13–11–11–13–12–01–11–12–03–13–13–1–2–22–03–14–01–1
Seattle 2–02–02–01–12–02–23–11–14–04–00–24–02–22–02–04–02–01–11–12–04–03–14–02–2–1–13–13–11–1
Toronto 0–41–31–31–31–31–10–20–41–10–20–42–00–21–22–21–12–20–41–21–30–20–20–20–21–1–0–21–13–1
Utah 1–12–01–10–22–03–11–32–03–12–22–03–12–22–02–03–12–01–11–11–13–13–14–01–31–32–0–4–01–1
Vancouver 0–21–10–20–20–20–41–30–20–40–40–21–30–41–11–12–20–21–10–21–10–42–22–20–41–31–10–4–0–2
Washington 3–12–21–30–41–32–01–12–11–11–10–31–11–12–23–12–02–21–30–43–10–22–02–01–11–11–31–12–0—

Playoffs
1996 playoff game log
First round: 1–3 (Home: 1–1; Road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 25 Houston L 83–87 Cedric Ceballos (22) Cedric Ceballos (12) Nick Van Exel (8) Great Western Forum
17,505		 0–1
2 April 27 Houston W 104–94 Magic Johnson (26) Vlade Divac (12) Magic Johnson (5) Great Western Forum
17,505		 1–1
3 April 30 @ Houston L 98–104 Elden Campbell (18) Elden Campbell (10) Magic Johnson (13) The Summit
16,285		 1–2
4 May 2 @ Houston L 94–102 Cedric Ceballos (25) Cedric Ceballos (12) Nick Van Exel (11) The Summit
16,285		 1–3
1996 schedule

Player statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

NOTE: Please write the players statistics in alphabetical order by last name.

Season
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Corie Blount
Elden Campbell
Cedric Ceballos
Vlade Divac
Magic Johnson
Eddie Jones
Frankie King
George Lynch
Anthony Miller
Anthony Peeler
Fred Roberts
Derek Strong
Sedale Threatt
Nick Van Exel

Playoffs
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Elden Campbell
Cedric Ceballos
Vlade Divac
Magic Johnson
Eddie Jones
George Lynch
Anthony Peeler
Fred Roberts
Sedale Threatt
Nick Van Exel

Salaries
PlayerSalary
Vlade Divac$3,333,000
Sedale Threatt$2,400,000
Cedric Ceballos$2,245,000
Elden Campbell$2,200,000
Nick Van Exel$1,900,000
George Lynch$1,760,000
Eddie Jones$1,600,000
Anthony Peeler$1,330,000
Corie Blount$1,040,000
Derek Strong$1,000,000
Anthony Miller$550,000
Fred Roberts$225,000
Frankie King$200,000

Player Salaries Citation:[17]

References
  1. 1995-96 Los Angeles Lakers
  2. Friend, Tom (January 30, 1996). "BASKETBALL; Johnson Finally Says the Magic Words: 'It's On'". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. Howard-Cooper, Scott (January 31, 1996). "Simply Magical : Johnson Makes Emotional --and Hugely Successful--Return in Laker Victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  4. Friend, Tom (January 31, 1996). "PRO BASKETBALL; The Stars Are Out: It's Showtime Again for Lakers". New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  5. "Ceballos Is Missing, Suspended". Los Angeles Times. March 22, 1996. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  6. "Hitting Referee Costs Van Exel $187,000". Los Angeles Times. April 11, 1996. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  7. Litsky, Frank (April 16, 1996). "PRO BASKETBALL; Lakers' Johnson Is Banned, Fined And Apologetic". New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  8. "1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  9. "1995–96 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  10. "1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  11. Friend, Tom (May 3, 1996). "NBA PLAYOFFS; Rockets Move On. Magic Might, Too". New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  12. Brown, Clifton (May 15, 1996). "PRO BASKETBALL; Leaving on His Terms, Johnson Retires Again". New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  13. "A New Day for Vlade". Los Angeles Times. July 21, 1996. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  14. "Laker Trade May Signal Big Deal". Los Angeles Times. July 17, 1996. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  15. NY Times, Johnson, Unbowed by H.I.V., Will Return to Pro Basketball , accessed June 1, 2007.
  16. Schwartz, Larry. "Magic made Showtime a show". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
  17. "1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers Salaries". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
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