The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers is one of the most successful organizations in the National Basketball Association. This is made apparent, due to their well thought out decision-making, in seeking exceptional talent, that displays a well robust team fit for champions. This paper will attempt to provide information on how the Lakers have become a successful organization despite the odds against them. First we will discuss the history behind the Lakers, followed by the present, then we will transition into their future endeavors, and lastly closing remarks. Behind every organization there is an owner that shapes their establishment to be a reflection of who they are and what they want to represent. This brings us to the man behind the Lakers, Jerry Buss. Jerry Buss took ownership of the Lakers in 1979. He believed in taking the organization to the next level. This was seen in the way he brought exceptional talent that eventually laid the foundation for the well known players of today, like Kobe Bryant.
However, Jerry Buss couldn't do all this by himself. There were also great players back in the day who helped pave the way for others. Players like, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, and others, gave the Lakers franchise a push towards success.
During this time the Lakers were on top of the world. In the 1980’s hard work and dedication landed them 5 championships, that put them on the map as the team that worked diligently to get the job done. As the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end”. After the 1988 championship, the Los Angeles Lakers went on a 12 year drought. They never gave up and continued to revamp and rebuild the team.
Bringing Shaquille O’neal in 1996 and also Kobe Bryant out of high school, the organization built around them and eventually became a thriving team destine to win again. They went on to conquer 3 straight championships in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The Lakers were now once again a successful franchise despite the odds against them.
2013 brought about a drastic change for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe Bryant, the franchise’s star player tore his Achilles with only 3 games left in the season. There was 9 months of recovery, but he still wasn't the same. The franchise sought out to revamp once again, acquiring fresh new talent, but at price. All though the upcoming generation of new players seemed promising, their lack of expertise caused a down spiraling plunge, leaving the Lakers one of the worst playing teams this seasons.
There fate, is yet to be known, but there is one thing that remains a fact, and that is that the Los Angeles Lakers continue to rise against any and every obstacle that they may face. They did it before in the early 2000’s, and they will continue to do so, in this decade and the many decades to come. Although Jerry Buss has passed, his thriving dream, to form a well robust team of champions still lives on and exist in every player that choses to put on the Lakers jersey, and the die heart fans that sit in the stands still rooting for the team to continue. The Los Angeles Lakers are a successful organization despite the odds against them.