Bucks: Marking 40 years since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade changed 2 franchises
By Phil Watson
Mar 24, 2015; El Segundo, CA, USA; General view of Los Angeles Lakers 1971-72 and 1979-80 NBA championship banners and backboard and rim at the Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers: Before and After
The Los Angeles Lakers got old in the mid-1970s. Elgin Baylor retired in 1971, Wilt Chamberlain followed suit in 1973 and Jerry West hung them up after the 1973-74 season.
In 1974-75, the Lakers stumbled to their worst record since moving to L.A. in 1960, a 30-52 mark, and missed the playoffs for the first time since the move. Pete Newell, the general manager, needed to make a splash and he did, sending two recently drafted rookies (Meyers and Bridgeman) and youngsters Winters and Smith to Milwaukee to get the Abdul-Jabbar.
Kareem won his fourth MVP trophy in 1975-76—becoming the only player ever to win the award while playing for a team that did not make the playoffs—as the Lakers finished 40-42.
Under new coach West in 1976-77, the Lakers returned to the postseason, but were upset by the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
The arrival of Magic Johnson to team with Kareem sparked a run of five titles in the decade of the 1980s and the Lakers also won three straight championships in 2000-02 and two more in a row in 2009 and 2010.
The arrival of Kareem in L.A. didn’t instantly transform the Lakers back into winners, but it certainly made the rebuilding process much quicker.
Next: Elmore Smith Was Not Kareem