1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season
| 1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season | |
|---|---|
NBA champions | |
Conference champions | |
Division champions | |
| Head coach |
|
| General manager | Bill Sharman |
| Owner(s) | Jerry Buss |
| Arena | The Forum |
| Results | |
| Record | 60–22 (.732) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Pacific) Conference: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | NBA champions (Defeated 76ers 4–2) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KHJ-TV |
| Radio | KLAC |
The 1979-80 NBA season was the Lakers' 32nd season in the NBA and the 20th season in Los Angeles. It featured a 20-year old rookie Magic Johnson leading the Lakers to their seventh NBA Championship (second in Los Angeles), defeating the Philadelphia 76ers led by Julius Erving in six games in the NBA Finals, which was the first NBA Finals with a three-point line. This was also the team's first season under the ownership of Jerry Buss. Magic's season represented the birth of the Showtime Lakers.
Only 13 games into his tenure, coach Jack McKinney suffered a near-fatal bicycling accident November 8. General manager Bill Sharman elevated assistant Paul Westhead to head coach and hired former Laker Pat Riley as assistant coach.