The 1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season was the Lakers' 33rd season in the NBA and the 21st season in Los Angeles. The Lakers were attempting to become the first team since 1969 to repeat as NBA Champions. Despite missing Magic Johnson for 45 games due to a knee injury, the Lakers still managed an impressive 54–28 record during the regular season, and they were the #3 seed heading into the Western Conference playoffs. However, the underdog Houston Rockets eliminated the Lakers in a best-of-three first round series two games to one.
NBA draft
The Lakers did not have a first-round pick in the 1980 Draft. Their first selection was Wayne Robinson, the 31st pick overall, but he never played a game for the Lakers. Future NBA Coach Butch Carter was their second selection at #37 overall.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | School/Club team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 31 | Wayne Robinson | Forward | United States | Virginia Tech |
| 2 | 37 | Butch Carter | Guard | United States | Indiana |
Roster
| Pos. | No. | Player | Height | Weight | DOB | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 33 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 1947-04-16 | UCLA |
| PF | 40 | Jim Brewer | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 1951-12-03 | Minnesota |
| SF | 24 | Butch Carter | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1958-06-11 | Indiana |
| PF | 9 | Jim Chones | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 1949-11-30 | Marquette |
| SG | 21 | Michael Cooper | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1956-04-15 | New Mexico |
| SG | 25 | Alan Hardy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1957-05-25 | Michigan |
| SG | 14 | Brad Holland | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1956-12-06 | UCLA |
| SG | 32 | Magic Johnson | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 1959-08-14 | Michigan State |
| PG | 15 | Eddie Jordan | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1955-01-29 | Rutgers |
| PF | 54 | Mark Landsberger | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 1955-05-21 | Arizona State |
| PG | 10 | Norm Nixon | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1955-10-11 | Duquesne |
| SF | 52 | Jamaal Wilkes | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1953-05-02 | UCLA |
Players Coaches
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
- (DP) Unsigned draft pick
- (FA) Free agent
- (S) Suspended
- Injured
Roster
Updated: December 2, 1980
Roster notes
- Shooting guard Magic Johnson missed 45 games during the season after suffering a torn cartilage in his left knee on November 18 during a game against the Kansas City Kings.
Regular season
Season standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Phoenix Suns | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 36–5 | 21–20 | 22–8 |
| x-Los Angeles Lakers | 54 | 28 | .659 | 3.0 | 30–11 | 24–17 | 19–11 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 12.0 | 30–11 | 15–26 | 18–12 |
| Golden State Warriors | 39 | 43 | .476 | 18.0 | 26–15 | 13–28 | 10–20 |
| San Diego Clippers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21.0 | 22–19 | 14–27 | 14–16 |
| Seattle SuperSonics | 34 | 48 | .415 | 23.0 | 22–19 | 12–29 | 7–23 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Phoenix Suns | 57 | 25 | .695 | – |
| 2 | y-San Antonio Spurs | 52 | 30 | .634 | 5 |
| 3 | x-Los Angeles Lakers | 54 | 28 | .659 | 3 |
| 4 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 45 | 37 | .549 | 12 |
| 5 | x-Kansas City Kings | 40 | 42 | .488 | 17 |
| 6 | x-Houston Rockets | 40 | 42 | .488 | 17 |
| 7 | Golden State Warriors | 39 | 43 | .476 | 18 |
| 8 | Denver Nuggets | 37 | 45 | .451 | 20 |
| 9 | San Diego Clippers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21 |
| 10 | Seattle SuperSonics | 34 | 48 | .415 | 23 |
| 11 | Utah Jazz | 28 | 54 | .341 | 29 |
| 12 | Dallas Mavericks | 15 | 67 | .183 | 42 |
Notes
- z, y – division champions
- x – clinched playoff spot
Game log
Regular season
| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location Attendance |
Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 10 | @ Seattle | W 99-98 | Jamaal Wilkes (22) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) | Magic Johnson (8) | Kingdome 35,233 |
1–0 |
| 2 | October 12 | Houston | W 114-103 | Magic Johnson (30) | Jim Chones (11) | Magic Johnson (10) | The Forum 11,142 |
2–0 |
| 3 | October 15 | @ Kansas City | W 112-107 (OT) | Jamaal Wilkes (31) | Magic Johnson (12) | Magic Johnson (14) | Kemper Arena 5,753 |
3–0 |
| 4 | October 17 | Phoenix | W 116-109 | Jamaal Wilkes (34) | Jim Chones (16) | Norm Nixon (9) | The Forum 10,411 |
4–0 |
| 5 | October 19 | Golden State | W 125-107 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) | Mark Landsberger (12) | Norm Nixon (9) | The Forum 10,644 |
5–0 |
| 6 | October 21 | @ Portland | L 103-107 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) | Magic Johnson (5) | Memorial Coliseum 12,666 |
5–1 |
| 7 | October 24 | Seattle | W 104-98 | Abdul-Jabbar & Wilkes (26) | Jim Chones (15) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Forum 12,201 |
6–1 |
| 8 | October 25 | @ Utah | W 127-99 | Magic Johnson (33) | Mark Landsberger (12) | Magic Johnson (6) | Salt Palace 12,058 |
7–1 |
| 9 | October 26 | San Antonio | L 102-108 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (30) | Magic Johnson (13) | Magic Johnson (11) | The Forum 11,906 |
7–2 |
| 10 | October 28 | @ San Diego | W 131-101 | Magic Johnson (29) | Abdul-Jabbar & Landsberger (10) | Magic Johnson (10) | San Diego Sports Arena 8,663 |
8–2 |
| 11 | October 31 | Cleveland | W 107-98 | Jamaal Wilkes (23) | Jim Chones (13) | Norm Nixon (8) | The Forum 9,728 |
9–2 |
1980–81 game log
Total: 54-28 (home: 30-11; road: 24-17)
October: 9–2 (home: 5–1; road: 4–1)
November: 9–6 (home: 5–3; road: 4–3)
December: 8–7 (home: 5–2; road: 3–5)
January: 10–3 (home: 8–0; road: 2–3)
February: 8–4 (home: 3–2; road: 5–2)
March: 10–6 (home: 4–3; road: 6–3)
Playoffs
| Game | Date | Team | Score | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Location Attendance |
Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 1 | Houston | L 107–111 | Magic Johnson (26) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) | Norm Nixon (10) | The Forum 15,517 |
0–1 |
| 2 | April 3 | @ Houston | W 111–106 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) | Magic Johnson (18) | Norm Nixon (11) | The Summit 16,121 |
1–1 |
| 3 | April 5 | Houston | L 86–89 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (18) | Magic Johnson (9) | The Forum 14,813 |
1–2 |
1981 playoff game log
Total: 1–2 (home: 0–2; road: 1–0)
First Round: 1–2 (home: 0–2; road: 1–0)
Player statistics
Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game
| Player | GP | MPG | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 80 | 37.2 | 821 | 272 | 59 | 228 | 2095 | 26.2 |
| Jamaal Wilkes | 81 | 37.4 | 435 | 235 | 121 | 29 | 1827 | 22.6 |
| Norm Nixon | 79 | 37.5 | 232 | 696 | 146 | 11 | 1350 | 17.1 |
| Jim Chones | 82 | 31.2 | 657 | 153 | 39 | 96 | 882 | 10.8 |
| Magic Johnson | 37 | 37.1 | 320 | 317 | 127 | 27 | 798 | 21.6 |
| Michael Cooper | 81 | 32.4 | 336 | 332 | 133 | 78 | 763 | 9.4 |
| Mark Landsberger | 69 | 15.7 | 377 | 27 | 19 | 6 | 390 | 5.7 |
| Eddie Jordan | 60 | 16.5 | 80 | 195 | 74 | 7 | 306 | 5.1 |
| Butch Carter | 54 | 12.4 | 65 | 52 | 23 | 1 | 301 | 5.6 |
| Jim Brewer | 78 | 14.2 | 281 | 55 | 43 | 58 | 217 | 2.8 |
| Brad Holland | 41 | 7.2 | 29 | 23 | 21 | 1 | 130 | 3.2 |
| Alan Hardy | 22 | 5.0 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 51 | 2.3 |
| Myles Patrick | 3 | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1.7 |
| Tony Jackson | 2 | 7.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 |
Award winners/Honors
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, First Team All-NBA, First Team All-Defense, All-Star
- Michael Cooper, Second Team All-Defense
- Jamaal Wilkes, All-Star