# 1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 1979–80 [Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-lakers) season was the [National Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-basketball-association) (NBA) campaign in which the Lakers, in Earvin "Magic" Johnson's rookie year, went 60–22, won the Pacific Division, and captured the franchise's seventh NBA championship by defeating the [Philadelphia 76ers](https://www.edgepedia.org/philadelphia-76ers) four games to two in the Finals.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html) The season began the "Showtime" era under new owner Jerry Buss and ended with one of the most famous games in Finals history.[2](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/season-capsule)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular season | 60–22 (.732), first place in the Pacific Division[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html) |
| Key addition | No. 1 draft pick Magic Johnson, a 6-foot-9 point guard who had led Michigan State to the 1979 NCAA Championship[2](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/season-capsule) |
| MVP | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won his sixth Most Valuable Player Award and led the NBA in blocks at 3.4 per game[3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80) |
| Playoffs | Beat Phoenix 4–1, Seattle 4–1, and Philadelphia 4–2 in the Finals[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html) |
| Finals Game 6 | Johnson, starting at center for the injured Abdul-Jabbar, had 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a blocked shot; he was named Finals MVP[4](https://projects.latimes.com/lakers/coach/paul-westhead/) • [3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80) |
| League context | First NBA season with the three-point line, adopted on a one-year trial basis[5](https://www.nba.com/news/this-day-in-history-oct-12-the-first-3-point-field-goal) |
## New ownership and the arrival of Magic
[Jerry Buss](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-buss) purchased the Lakers from [Jack Kent Cooke](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-kent-cooke) in 1979 and set out to turn the team into an entertainment spectacle, collecting stars on the court and in the stands.[6](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/del-asterisco-a-los-10-anillos-en-16-anos-la-rivalidad-post-jordan-que-cambio-la-nba-f202512-n/) On April 19, 1979, a coin flip between Chicago and Los Angeles decided the top pick in the draft, which the Lakers used on Johnson.[7](https://as.com/baloncesto/2020/05/16/reportajes/1589614273_932560.html) Johnson's enthusiasm appeared to rejuvenate [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kareem-abdul-jabbar), propelling the Lakers to 60 wins and a berth in the NBA Finals.[3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80)
## The McKinney accident and Westhead's takeover
Westhead, a former high school English teacher, took over for the remainder of the season and guided the team to the title, compiling a 50–18 record to McKinney's 10–4.[4](https://projects.latimes.com/lakers/coach/paul-westhead/) • [1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html) Westhead hired [Pat Riley](https://www.edgepedia.org/pat-riley) as his assistant coach that season.[9](https://time.com/6154947/winning-time-lakers-hbo-true-story/)
## Regular season
The Lakers scored 115.1 points per game, second of the league's 22 teams, and posted the league's best offensive rating at 109.5; their defensive rating of 103.9 ranked ninth.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html) Abdul-Jabbar, inspired by the All-Rookie Team member Johnson, turned in what the team's own capsule calls the best all-around performance of his career and earned his sixth and final MVP Award.[2](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/season-capsule) He also led the league in blocked shots at 3.4 per game.[3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80) Home attendance at the Forum was 582,882.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html)
## Playoffs and Finals
Los Angeles swept through the Western Conference playoffs, defeating the [Phoenix Suns](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoenix-suns) 4–1 in the semifinals and the [Seattle SuperSonics](https://www.edgepedia.org/seattle-supersonics) 4–1 in the conference finals.[1](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html) In the Finals against Philadelphia, Abdul-Jabbar dominated the first five games, with Johnson feeding him the ball, but he badly twisted an ankle in Game 5 and could not make the trip to Philadelphia for Game 6.[3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80)
**Game 6.** With Abdul-Jabbar out and [Spencer Haywood](https://www.edgepedia.org/spencer-haywood) suspended, Westhead started the 20-year-old rookie Johnson at center against the 76ers.[4](https://projects.latimes.com/lakers/coach/paul-westhead/) Johnson scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and handed out seven assists, adding three steals and a blocked shot, while [Jamaal Wilkes](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamaal-wilkes) added 37 points in one of the finest games of his career; the Lakers closed out the series on the road.[4](https://projects.latimes.com/lakers/coach/paul-westhead/) • [3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80) Johnson was named Finals MVP.[3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80) After the game, Johnson sent a televised message to his hospitalized teammate: "We know you're hurting, big fella... But we want you to get up and do a little dancin' tonight."[3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80)
## Significance
The championship was the first of five Lakers titles in the 1980s, a run that earned the organization "Professional Sports Franchise of the Decade" honors from the Associated Press.[10](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/alumni/earvin-magic-johnson) The season also opened the Lakers–Celtics rivalry of the decade, with rookies Johnson and [Larry Bird](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-bird) arriving on opposite coasts that year.[3](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80) Westhead was fired after a 7–4 start to the 1981–82 season, and Riley, his assistant during this championship run, took over and won four more titles.[2](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/season-capsule) • [9](https://time.com/6154947/winning-time-lakers-hbo-true-story/)
## References
1. [1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1980_games.html)
2. [Los Angeles Lakers Season Capsule, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/season-capsule)
3. [Season Review: 1979-80, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-season-review-1979-80)
4. [Paul Westhead, All Things Lakers, Los Angeles Times](https://projects.latimes.com/lakers/coach/paul-westhead/)
5. [This Day In History: Oct. 12, The first 3-point field goal, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/this-day-in-history-oct-12-the-first-3-point-field-goal)
6. [Del "asterisco" a los 10 anillos en 16 años, AS.com](https://as.com/baloncesto/nba/del-asterisco-a-los-10-anillos-en-16-anos-la-rivalidad-post-jordan-que-cambio-la-nba-f202512-n/)
7. ["Este es tu gran momento, Magic", AS.com](https://as.com/baloncesto/2020/05/16/reportajes/1589614273_932560.html)
8. [Observer, January 22, 1981, University of Notre Dame Archives](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/1981-01-22_v15_075.pdf)
9. [The True Story Behind HBO's Winning Time, TIME](https://time.com/6154947/winning-time-lakers-hbo-true-story/)
10. [Los Angeles Lakers Alumni: Earvin "Magic" Johnson, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/alumni/earvin-magic-johnson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › NBA and WNBA (North American professional basketball) › NBA and WNBA seasons, champions, and records › NBA seasons and team seasons › NBA team seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license