Record: 54-28, first place in Pacific Division
The Lakers acquired Byron Scott before the season from San Diego in exchange for Norm Nixon. On April 5, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became the NBA's all-time leading scorer when he scored point No. 31,420 against Utah to pass Wilt Chamberlain.
Playoffs: The NBA Finals featured the first Larry Bird-Magic Johnson Finals matchup as the Lakers and Boston Celtics met for the NBA title. The Lakers won Game 1, then had a two-point lead in Game 2 with 15 seconds remaining when Gerald Henderson picked off a James Worthy pass and scored a layup to send the game into overtime. Boston prevailed, 124-121, and went on to win the title in seven games.