List of Los Angeles Lakers head coaches

There have been 21 head coaches for the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, formerly known as Minneapolis Lakers from 1948 to 1960.cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/lakers/history/lakers_history_new.html|title=Los Angeles Lakers History|publisher=NBA.com|accessdate=2008-06-21] The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers play their home games at the Staples Center. [cite web|url=http://www.staplescenter.com/doublecol.php?section=about&page=aboutstaplescenter|title= About STAPLES Center |publisher=L.A. Arena Company |accessdate=2008-06-25] The franchise took its official name from Minnesota's nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes. At the time the name was revealed, the Lakers were in Minneapolis. [cite book |author=Reavis, Tracey|title=The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia |year=2000|publisher=Doubleday|isbn=978-0385501309] In their franchise history, the Lakers has only missed the NBA playoffs five times. [cite web|url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2008040413 |title=Odom scores 31, Lakers beat Mavericks 112-108 to clinch a playoff berth |publisher=Yahoo!|accessdate=2008-07-03] According to "Forbes" magazine, the Lakers are the second most valuable basketball franchise in the United States, valued at approximately $568 million, surpassed only by the New York Knicks. [cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/32/biz_06nba_NBA-Team-Valuations_Rank.html |title=NBA Team Valuations |publisher=Forbes|accessdate=2008-07-03]

The franchise won their first NBA championship in the 1949 NBA Finals while coached by John Kundla. The Lakers won four additional NBA championships in the next five years under Kundla. Pat Riley is the franchise's all-time leader in both regular season and playoff games coached and wins.cite web|url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/rileypa01c.html|title=Pat Riley Coaching Record|publisher=basketball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-06-21] Riley was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.cite web|url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/rileypa01c.html|title=Pat Riley Coaching Record|publisher=basketball-reference.com|accessdate=2008-06-21] John Kundla, Bill Sharman, and Phil Jackson have also all been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, and Kurt Rambis have all played and head coached for the Lakers.__FORCETOC__

Key

Coaches

"Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2007–08 season."

Notes

*A running total of the number of coaches of the Lakers. Thus any coach who has two or more separate terms as head coach is only counted once.

References

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