Record: 63-19, first place in Pacific Division
The Lakers replaced the now retired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by signing Vlade Divac out of Yugoslavia. The Lakers improved by six games over the previous season, and Magic Johnson won his second consecutive MVP award.
Playoffs: The Lakers were expected to make it to the NBA Finals again, but instead were defeated in the Western Conference semifinals by the Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers and Jeff Hornacek-led Phoenix Suns.