Who coached the Lakers in 1980

Q: What happened to the Lakers coach in 1980?

The Lakers advanced to that years NBA Finals, when McKinney was fired mid-series on May 13, 1980. The Lakers won the series for their first of five NBA titles in nine seasons, and hired Westhead to permanently replace McKinney.

1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers season

NBA champions

Índice Show

Offseason[edit]
NBA Draft[edit]
Roster[edit]
Regular season[edit]
Season standings[edit]
Record vs. opponents[edit]
Season schedule[edit]
Playoffs[edit]
Magic Johnson[edit]
Player statistics[edit]
Regular season[edit]
Playoffs[edit]
Awards and records[edit]
References[edit]
Who coached the Lakers in the 80's?
When did Pat Riley coach the Lakers?
What happened to the Lakers coach in 1980?
Who was the Lakers coach in 1979?

Conference champions

Division champions

Head coach

Jack McKinney (first 13 games)[1]
Paul Westhead

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.com

Local media

Television

KHJ-TV

Radio

KLAC

< 1978–79

1980–81 >

The highlight of the Los Angeles Lakers season of 1979–80 was the 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. This was also the team's first season under the ownership of Jerry Buss. Magic's season represented the birth of the Showtime Lakers.

Offseason[edit]

NBA Draft[edit]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	1	Magic Johnson	Guard	United States	Michigan State
1	14	Brad Holland	Guard	United States	UCLA

Roster[edit]

1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)	From
C	33	Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem (C)	7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1947-04-16	UCLA
F	7	Byrnes, Marty	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1956-04-30	Syracuse
C	9	Chones, Jim	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1949-11-30	Marquette
G	21	Cooper, Michael	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1956-04-15	New Mexico
F	31	Haywood, Spencer	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1949-04-22	Detroit Mercy
G	14	Holland, Brad	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1956-12-06	UCLA
G	32	Johnson, Magic (C)	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1959-08-14	Michigan State
C	54	Landsberger, Mark	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1955-05-21	Arizona State
G	15	Lee, Butch	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1956-12-05	Marquette
G	10	Nixon, Norm	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1955-10-11	Duquesne
F	52	Wilkes, Jamaal	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1953-05-02	UCLA

Head coach

Paul Westhead

Assistant coach(es)

Pat Riley

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster
Last transaction: February 15, 1980

Regular season[edit]

Season standings[edit]

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers	60	22	.732	–	37–4	23–18	19–11
x-Seattle SuperSonics	56	26	.683	4	33–8	23–18	18–12
x-Phoenix Suns	55	27	.671	5	37–5	18–22	19–11
x-Portland Trail Blazers	38	44	.463	22	26–15	12–29	13–17
San Diego Clippers	35	47	.427	25	24–17	11–30	13–17
Golden State Warriors	24	58	.293	36	15–26	9–32	8–22

#	Western Conference v t e
Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Los Angeles Lakers	60	22	.732	–
2	y-Milwaukee Bucks	49	33	.598	11
3	x-Seattle SuperSonics	56	26	.683	4
4	x-Phoenix Suns	55	27	.671	5
5	x-Kansas City Kings	47	35	.573	13
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	38	44	.463	22

7	San Diego Clippers	35	47	.427	25
8	Chicago Bulls	30	52	.366	30
9	Denver Nuggets	30	52	.366	30
10	Utah Jazz	24	58	.293	36
11	Golden State Warriors	24	58	.293	36

Record vs. opponents[edit]

1979–80 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SDC	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–4	1–1	4–2	1–1	6–0	2–0	2–4	4–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	4–2	4–2	4–2	1–1	2–0	5–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–3
Boston	4–2	—	2–0	4–2	2–0	6–0	2–0	6–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	5–1	5–1	3–3	1–1	2–0	4–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	4–2
Chicago	1–1	0–2	—	2–0	2–4	1–1	4–2	1–1	0–2	3–3	1–5	1–5	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–5	3–3	0–2	4–2	2–4	2–4	0–2
Cleveland	2–4	2–4	0–2	—	1–1	6–0	2–0	2–4	2–4	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–3	3–3	1–5	1–1	0–2	4–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3
Denver	1–1	0–2	4–2	1–1	—	1–1	3–3	1–1	1–1	0–6	1–5	3–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–4	1–1	3–3	1–5	3–3	1–1
Detroit	0–6	0–6	1–1	0–6	1–1	—	1–1	1–5	1–5	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–4	1–5	0–2	0–2	2–4	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4
Golden State	0–2	0–2	2–4	0–2	3–3	1–1	—	1–1	1–1	3–3	1–5	0–6	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–4	2–4	0–2	3–3	0–6	3–3	0–2
Houston	4–2	0–6	1–1	4–2	1–1	5–1	1–1	—	4–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–3	3–3	2–4	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–4
Indiana	2–4	2–4	2–0	4–2	1–1	5–1	1–1	2–4	—	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–4	4–2	1–5	0–2	2–0	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–2
Kansas City	2–0	1–1	3–3	0–2	6–0	2–0	3–3	2–0	1–1	—	2–4	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–5	1–5	1–1	5–1	3–3	6–0	2–0
Los Angeles	1–1	2–0	5–1	1–1	5–1	2–0	5–1	2–0	2–0	4–2	—	3–3	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–3	2–4	2–0	5–1	4–2	6–0	1–1
Milwaukee	1–1	0–2	5–1	2–0	3–3	1–1	6–0	1–1	2–0	3–3	3–3	—	1–1	1–1	0–2	4–2	5–1	0–2	4–2	2–4	4–2	1–1
New Jersey	2–4	1–5	1–1	3–3	1–1	4–2	0–2	3–3	4–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	2–4	1–5	1–1	0–2	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–3
New York	2–4	1–5	2–0	3–3	1–1	4–2	2–0	3–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	4–2	—	0–6	2–0	2–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3
Philadelphia	2–4	3–3	1–1	5–1	2–0	5–1	2–0	4–2	5–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	5–1	6–0	—	1–1	2–0	4–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–1
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	5–1	1–1	5–1	2–0	4–2	1–1	2–0	5–1	3–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	—	6–0	1–1	2–4	4–2	6–0	2–0
Portland	0–2	0–2	3–3	2–0	4–2	2–0	4–2	1–1	0–2	5–1	4–2	1–5	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–6	—	1–1	4–2	1–5	3–3	1–1
San Antonio	1–5	2–4	2–0	2–4	1–1	4–2	2–0	3–3	4–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–3	2–4	2–4	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–2
San Diego	1–1	0–2	2–4	1–1	3–3	2–0	3–3	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–5	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–2	2–4	0–2	—	3–3	5–1	1–1
Seattle	2–0	2–0	4–2	2–0	5–1	2–0	6–0	1–1	2–0	3–3	2–4	4–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	5–1	1–1	3–3	—	5–1	1–1
Utah	0–2	0–2	4–2	1–1	3–3	1–1	3–3	0–2	1–1	0–6	0–6	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–6	3–3	1–1	1–5	1–5	—	0–2
Washington	3–3	2–4	2–0	3–3	1–1	4–2	2–0	4–2	2–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	3–3	1–5	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–1	1–1	2–0	—

Season schedule[edit]

1979–80 game log
Total: 60-22 (Home: 37-4; Road: 23-18)

October: 7–3 (home: 5–1; road: 2–2)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
1	October 12, 1979	@ San Diego	W 103–102	San Diego Sports Arena	1–0
2	October 16, 1979	Chicago	W 105–96	The Forum	2–0
3	October 17, 1979	@ Seattle	L 110–112	Kingdome	2–1
4	October 19, 1979	Portland	L 82–99	The Forum	2–2
5	October 21, 1979	Seattle	W 106–97	The Forum	3–2
6	October 23, 1979	Utah	W 102–87	The Forum	4–2
7	October 26, 1979	Kansas City	W 116–104	The Forum	5–2
8	October 28, 1979	Golden State	W 97–90	The Forum	6–2
9	October 30, 1979	@ Chicago	W 111–105	Chicago Stadium	7–2
10	October 31, 1979	@ Milwaukee	L 106–110	MECCA Arena	7–3

November: 9–6 (home: 6–1; road: 3–5)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
11	November 2, 1979	Phoenix	W 112–110	The Forum	8–3
12	November 6, 1979	San Diego	W 127–112	The Forum	9–3
13	November 7, 1979	@ Golden State	L 109–126	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena	9–4
14	November 9, 1979	Denver	W 126–122 (OT)	The Forum	10–4
15	November 11, 1979	Cleveland	W 140–126	The Forum	11–4
16	November 13, 1979	@ San Diego	W 137–91	San Diego Sports Arena	12–4
17	November 15, 1979	@ Kansas City	L 108–114	Municipal Auditorium	12–5
18	November 16, 1979	@ Denver	W 135–128 (OT)	McNichols Sports Arena	13–5
19	November 18, 1979	Indiana	W 127–104	The Forum	14–5
20	November 20, 1979	@ Portland	L 99–114	Memorial Coliseum	14–6
21	November 21, 1979	@ Seattle	L 110–119	Kingdome	14–7
22	November 23, 1979	@ Phoenix	L 112–126	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	14–8
23	November 25, 1979	Kansas City	W 111–110	The Forum	15–8
24	November 27, 1979	@ Utah	W 122–118	Salt Palace	16–8
25	November 30, 1979	Chicago	L 100–107	The Forum	16–9

December: 12–4 (home: 8–1; road: 4–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
26	December 2, 1979	Milwaukee	W 116–103	The Forum	17–9
27	December 4, 1979	@ San Antonio	W 127–121	HemisFair Arena	18–9
28	December 5, 1979	@ Houston	W 116–114	The Summit	19–9
29	December 7, 1979	San Diego	L 108–116	The Forum	19–10
30	December 9, 1979	Denver	W 131–118	The Forum	20–10
31	December 14, 1979	Detroit	W 138–122	The Forum	21–10
32	December 16, 1979	San Antonio	W 121–119	The Forum	22–10
33	December 18, 1979	@ Chicago	W 129–118	Chicago Stadium	23–10
34	December 19, 1979	@ Atlanta	L 112–119	The Omni	23–11
35	December 21, 1979	Golden State	W 114–108	The Forum	24–11
36	December 22, 1979	@ Denver	L 128–130	McNichols Sports Arena	24–12
37	December 23, 1979	Seattle	W 102–97	The Forum	25–12
38	December 26, 1979	@ Kansas City	L 111–118	Municipal Auditorium	25–13
39	December 27, 1979	@ Utah	W 124–116	Salt Palace	26–13
40	December 28, 1979	Boston	W 123–105	The Forum	27–13
41	December 30, 1979	Phoenix	W 113–105	The Forum	28–13

January: 10–4 (home: 5–0; road: 5–4)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
42	January 2, 1980	@ Indiana	W 127–120	Market Square Arena	29–13
43	January 6, 1980	@ Milwaukee	L 103–113	MECCA Arena	29–14
44	January 9, 1980	@ Washington	L 101–103	Capital Centre	29–15
45	January 11, 1980	@ Detroit	W 123–100	Pontiac Silverdome	30–15
46	January 13, 1980	@ Boston	W 100–98	Boston Garden	31–15
47	January 15, 1980	Utah	W 112–99	The Forum	32–15
48	January 16, 1980	@ Golden State	W 97–96	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena	33–15
49	January 18, 1980	Atlanta	W 108–102	The Forum	34–15
50	January 21, 1980	New York	W 132–114	The Forum	35–15
51	January 24, 1980	@ Portland	L 103–111	Memorial Coliseum	35–16
52	January 25, 1980	Philadelphia	W 124–103	The Forum	36–16
53	January 27, 1980	Milwaukee	W 112–102	The Forum	37–16
54	January 29, 1980	@ Cleveland	L 153–154 (4 OT)	Richfield Coliseum	37–17
55	January 31, 1980	@ Chicago	W 107–97	Chicago Stadium	38–17

February: 9–2 (home: 5–1; road: 4–1)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
All-Star Break
56	February 5, 1980	@ New York	W 116–105	Madison Square Garden	39–17
57	February 8, 1980	@ New Jersey	W 125–120 (OT)	Rutgers Athletic Center	40–17
58	February 10, 1980	@ Philadelphia	L 104–105	The Spectrum	40–18
59	February 13, 1980	Portland	W 129–100	The Forum	41–18
60	February 15, 1980	Kansas City	W 114–100	The Forum	42–18
61	February 17, 1980	Washington	W 111–107	The Forum	43–18
62	February 20, 1980	@ Denver	W 116–103	McNichols Sports Arena	44–18
63	February 22, 1980	New Jersey	W 132–110	The Forum	45–18
64	February 24, 1980	Houston	W 112–100	The Forum	46–18
65	February 26, 1980	Seattle	W 131–108	The Forum	47–18
66	February 29, 1980	Milwaukee	L 117–126 (OT)	The Forum	47–19

March: 13–3 (home: 7–0; road: 6–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
67	March 2, 1980	@ Phoenix	L 115–123	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	47–20
68	March 4, 1980	@ Milwaukee	W 127–124	MECCA Arena	48–20
69	March 5, 1980	@ Kansas City	W 117–101	Kemper Arena	49–20
70	March 7, 1980	Chicago	W 101–99	The Forum	50–20
71	March 9, 1980	@ Portland	L 121–142	Memorial Coliseum	50–21
72	March 11, 1980	@ San Diego	W 123–106	San Diego Sports Arena	51–21
73	March 12, 1980	Portland	W 102–94	The Forum	52–21
74	March 14, 1980	Denver	W 132–126	The Forum	53–21
75	March 16, 1980	Phoenix	W 128–106	The Forum	54–21
76	March 18, 1980	Golden State	W 118–100	The Forum	55–21
77	March 19, 1980	@ Phoenix	L 108–112	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum	55–22
78	March 22, 1980	@ Seattle	W 97–92	Kingdome	56–22
79	March 23, 1980	Utah	W 101–96	The Forum	57–22
80	March 27, 1980	@ Utah	W 97–95	Salt Palace	58–22
81	March 28, 1980	San Diego	W 126–88	The Forum	59–22
82	March 30, 1980	@ Golden State	W 95–93	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena	60–22

1979–80 schedule

Playoffs[edit]

1980 playoff game log

Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	April 8, 1980	Phoenix	W 119–110	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30)	Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson (12)	Magic Johnson (16)	The Forum 15,892	1–0
2	April 9, 1980	Phoenix	W 131–128 (OT)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32)	Magic Johnson (13)	Norm Nixon (12)	The Forum 14,286	2–0
3	April 11, 1980	@ Phoenix	W 108–105	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (37)	Magic Johnson (13)	Norm Nixon (8)	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,660	3–0
4	April 13, 1980	@ Phoenix	L 101–127	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11)	Magic Johnson (13)	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,660	3–1
5	April 15, 1980	Phoenix	W 126–101	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (35)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16)	Norm Nixon (13)	The Forum 17,505	4–1

Conference Finals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	April 22, 1980	Seattle	L 107–108	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (26)	three players tied (8)	Norm Nixon (11)	The Forum 17,505	0–1
2	April 23, 1980	Seattle	W 108–99	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16)	Norm Nixon (12)	The Forum 17,505	1–1
3	April 25, 1980	@ Seattle	W 104–100	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13)	Johnson, Cooper (10)	Hec Edmundson Pavilion 8,524	2–1
4	April 27, 1980	@ Seattle	W 98–93	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25)	Wilkes, Johnson (13)	Norm Nixon (8)	Hec Edmundson Pavilion 8,524	3–1
5	April 30, 1980	Seattle	W 111–105	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11)	Magic Johnson (10)	The Forum 17,505	4–1

NBA Finals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	May 4, 1980	Philadelphia	W 109–102	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14)	Magic Johnson (10)	The Forum 17,505	1–0
2	May 7, 1980	Philadelphia	L 104–107	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14)	Magic Johnson (11)	The Forum 17,505	1–1
3	May 10, 1980	@ Philadelphia	W 111–101	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14)	Norm Nixon (7)	The Spectrum 18,726	2–1
4	May 11, 1980	@ Philadelphia	L 102–105	Magic Johnson (28)	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11)	Magic Johnson (9)	The Spectrum 18,726	2–2
5	May 14, 1980	Philadelphia	W 108–103	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (40)	Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson (15)	Magic Johnson (10)	The Forum 17,505	3–2
6	May 16, 1980	@ Philadelphia	W 123–107	Magic Johnson (42)	Magic Johnson (15)	Norm Nixon (9)	The Spectrum 18,726	4–2

1980 schedule

Magic Johnson[edit]

Having won everything possible at the college level, Johnson decided to leave college two years early and declared himself eligible for the 1979 NBA draft. The New Orleans Jazz originally had the first draft pick, but they had traded the pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for NBA star Gail Goodrich. As a result, the Lakers drafted Johnson with the first overall pick,[2] signing him for a sizable salary of US$600,000 a year.[3]

Johnson joined a franchise which had gone through major changes. The Lakers featured a new coach in Jack McKinney, a new owner in Jerry Buss, and several new players. However, Johnson was most excited about the prospect of playing with his personal idol, the 7–2 center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who would go on to become the leading scorer in NBA history.[3] From the first game, Johnson displayed his trademark enthusiasm for the game. When Abdul-Jabbar hit a last-second free throw line hook shot to win against the San Diego Clippers, Johnson ran around the court, high-fiving and hugging everybody, causing concern that the "Buck" (as Johnson was called by Lakers announcer Chick Hearn for his youth) would burn himself out. However, in that 1979–80 NBA season, the rookie proved them wrong. Johnson introduced an uptempo style of basketball which the NBA described as a mix of "no-look passes off the fastbreak, pinpoint alley-oops from halfcourt, spinning feeds and overhand bullets under the basket through triple teams".[2] Fellow Lakers guard Michael Cooper even stated that: "There have been times when he [Johnson] has thrown passes and I wasn't sure where he was going. Then one of our guys catches the ball and scores, and I run back up the floor convinced that he must've thrown it through somebody."[2] This style of basketball became known as "Showtime". Given Johnson was also a prolific scorer and rebounder, he soon led the league in triple-doubles, racking up 10-points-10-rebounds-10-assists games in a rate only second to NBA Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson.[2] In addition, he expressed a raw, childlike enthusiasm which further endeared him to the fans.[4]

Johnson's average of 18.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game was enough to make the All-Rookie Team and become a starter on the All-Star Team, even though the NBA Rookie of the Year Award went to his rival Larry Bird, who had joined the Boston Celtics.[5] The Lakers compiled a 60–22 win–loss record, and with Paul Westhead replacing coach McKinney as a coach after a serious bicycle accident 13 games into the season, the Lakers reached the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Against the fierce resistance of Sixers Hall-of-Fame forward Julius "Doctor J" Erving and Darryl Dawkins, the Lakers took a 3–2 lead before Abdul-Jabbar went down with a sprained ankle. Coach Westhead decided to put point guard Johnson at pivot instead, and on the Sixers' home court, the rookie dominated with 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, lifting the Lakers to a 123–107 win and winning the NBA Finals MVP award. The NBA regards Johnson's clutch performance as one of the finest individual games ever.[6] Although only twenty years old, he had already won every trophy at the high school, college and professional levels. Johnson also became one of only four players to win NCAA and NBA championships in consecutive years.

Player statistics[edit]

Regular season[edit]

Player	GP	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	82	38.3	.604	.000	.765	10.8	4.5	1.0	3.4	24.8
Ron Boone†	6	17.7	.350	NA	.857	1.8	1.2	0.8	0.0	5.7
Marty Byrnes	32	6.1	.500	NA	.867	0.8	0.4	0.2	0.0	2.0
Kenny Carr†	6	17.7	.438	NA	1.000	3.4	0.2	0.4	0.2	3.2
Jim Chones	82	29.2	.489	.000	.740	6.9	1.8	0.7	0.8	10.6
Michael Cooper	82	24.1	.524	.250	.776	2.8	2.7	1.0	0.5	8.8
Don Ford†	52	11.2	.508	.000	.821	1.9	0.7	0.2	0.3	3.0
Spencer Haywood	76	20.3	.487	.250	.772	4.6	1.2	0.5	0.8	9.7
Brad Holland	38	5.2	.423	.200	.938	0.4	0.6	0.4	0.0	2.8
Magic Johnson	77	36.3	.530	.226	.810	7.7	7.3	2.4	0.5	18.0
Mark Landsberger*	23	16.3	.482	NA	.518	7.1	0.6	0.4	0.2	7.0
Butch Lee*	11	2.8	.308	NA	.857	0.7	0.8	0.1	0.0	1.3
Ollie Mack†	27	5.7	.420	.000	.500	0.8	0.7	0.1	0.0	1.9
Norm Nixon	82	39.3	.516	.125	.779	2.8	7.8	1.8	0.2	17.6
Jamaal Wilkes	82	37.9	.535	.176	.808	6.4	3.0	1.6	0.3	20.0

*Stats after being traded to the Lakers.
†Stats before being traded from the Lakers.

Playoffs[edit]

Player	GP	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	15	41.2	.572	NA	.790	12.1	3.1	1.1	3.9	31.9
Marty Byrnes	4	2.0	.333	NA	.667	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	1.5
Jim Chones	16	27.4	.407	NA	.676	6.5	1.8	0.5	0.4	7.4
Michael Cooper	16	29.0	.407	.000	.861	3.7	3.6	1.5	0.7	9.1
Spencer Haywood	11	13.2	.472	.000	.813	2.4	0.4	0.0	0.5	5.7
Brad Holland	9	3.6	.500	.000	1.000	0.6	0.3	0.6	0.0	1.6
Magic Johnson	16	41.1	.518	.250	.802	10.5	9.4	3.0	0.4	18.3
Mark Landsberger	16	12.2	.362	.000	.833	4.3	0.1	0.2	0.1	3.4
Butch Lee	3	2.0	NA	NA	1.000	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7
Norm Nixon	16	40.5	.477	.200	.804	3.5	7.8	2.0	0.2	16.9
Jamaal Wilkes	16	40.8	.535	.176	.815	8.0	3.0	1.5	0.3	20.3

Awards and records[edit]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
Magic Johnson, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, All-NBA First Team
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA All-Defensive First Team
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA All-Star Game
Magic Johnson, NBA All-Star Game
Magic Johnson, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References[edit]

^ "1979-80 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats".
^ a b c d "Earvin "Magic" Johnson". NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
^ a b Bork (1994), pp. 56-66
^ Schwartz, Larry. "Magic made Showtime a show". ESPN.com. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
^ "Magic Johnson Statistics". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
^ "NBA's Greatest Moments: Magic Fills in at Center". NBA Encyclopedia: Playoff Edition. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2007-09-13.

Lakers on Database Basketball
Lakers on Basketball Reference
"That Magic Season" – Documentary on the 1979–80 Los Angeles Lakers on YouTube

Who coached the Lakers in the 80's?

Jerry West was head coach of the Lakers for three seasons. Pat Riley coached the team to four championships in the 1980s. Phil Jackson won five championships in two stints coached with the Lakers.

When did Pat Riley coach the Lakers?

Riley retired in 1976 and one year later joined the Lakers as a broadcaster. In 1979 he became an assistant coach for the team, and he was promoted to head coach early in the 1981–82 season when young star Magic Johnson clashed with incumbent coach Paul Westhead.

What happened to the Lakers coach in 1980?

The Lakers advanced to that year's NBA Finals, when McKinney was fired mid-series on May 13, 1980. The Lakers won the series for their first of five NBA titles in nine seasons, and hired Westhead to permanently replace McKinney.

Who was the Lakers coach in 1979?

Jack McKinney, who brought the up-tempo style of play that came to be known as Showtime to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979 but lasted only 13 games as their coach after a bicycle accident put him in a coma, led to his firing and left a haunting “what if” over his career, died on Tuesday at a hospice in Bonita Springs, ...