1997–98 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1997–98 NBA season was the 50th season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 38th season in Los Angeles, California. During the off-season, the Lakers signed free agents Rick Fox, and three-point specialist Jon Barry.

The Lakers got off to a fast start to the regular season by winning their first eleven games, before losing Shaquille O'Neal to a strained stomach muscle that forced him to sit out 20 games; in his absence, the team posted a 13–7 record. In January, Nick Van Exel went down with a knee injury missing 18 games, and was replaced with second-year guard Derek Fisher as the team's starting point guard for the remainder of the season. The Lakers held a 34–11 record at the All-Star break, and won 22 of their final 25 games to tie the Pacific Division title with the Seattle SuperSonics with a 61–21 record, earning the #3 seed in the Western Conference. It was the Lakers' best record since the 1989–90 season.

O'Neal averaged 28.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Eddie Jones averaged 16.9 points and 2.0 steals per game, led the Lakers with 143 three-point field goals, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and second-year guard Kobe Bryant emerged as a star in his second season, playing an increased role as the team's sixth man off the bench, averaging 15.4 points per game. In addition, Van Exel provided the team with 13.8 points and 6.9 assists per game, and finished second on the team with 123 three-point field goals, while Fox contributed 12.0 points per game, Robert Horry averaged 7.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, Elden Campbell provided with 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game off the bench, and Fisher contributed 5.8 points and 4.1 assists per game.

Four members of the team, O'Neal, Bryant, Jones and Van Exel, were all selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game in New York City, New York. It was Bryant's first ever All-Star appearance, as he was voted as a starter for the Western Conference at the age of 19; Bryant scored 18 points in 22 minutes, as the Western Conference lost to the Eastern Conference, 135–114. O'Neal also finished in fourth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Bryant finished in second place in Sixth Man of the Year voting behind Danny Manning of the Phoenix Suns, and also finished in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting.

In the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 3–1 in the Western Conference First Round for the second consecutive year, then after losing Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-finals to the 2nd–seeded SuperSonics, 106–92 at Seattle, the Lakers would win the next four games, thus the series. However, in the Western Conference Finals, they were swept by the top-seeded Utah Jazz in four straight games. The Jazz would go on to lose in six games to the Chicago Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals for the second straight year.

Following the season, Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets after feuding with head coach Del Harris, and Barry signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings.