[7][8] After playing in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, All-Star guard Magic Johnson attempted a comeback, but cut it short when other NBA players expressed fear of playing against him due to his HIV infection, most notably All-Star forward Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz.
[9][10][11][12][13] Under new head coach Randy Pfund,[14][15][16] the Lakers played around .500 for the first half of the season holding a 26–23 at the All-Star break.
[17] At mid-season, the team traded Sam Perkins to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Benoit Benjamin, and top draft pick Doug Christie out of Pepperdine University.
[18][19][20][21] However, the Lakers struggled playing below .500 for the remainder of the season, losing 11 of 12 games between March 17 and April 9, 1993, finishing in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 39–43 record, their worst since 1974–75, but still qualified the playoffs as the #8 seed in the Western Conference.
[23] In the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Lakers took a 2–0 series lead over regular season MVP Charles Barkley, and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns.