It was not until 1996 when the team traded with the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant and signed center Shaquille O'Neal that the Lakers returned to dominance during the early 2000s.

The superstar duo, along with Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, led the Lakers to three consecutive championships between 2000 and 2002, securing the franchise's second "three-peat".

[28][29] As the franchise had the worst record in the NBL the previous season, it got the first pick in the 1947 Professional Basketball League of America dispersal draft, which they used to select George Mikan.

[74] In 1970, West won his first scoring title at 31.2 ppg, the team returned to the finals, and for the first time in 16 years, they did not have to face the Celtics; instead playing the New York Knicks, who defeated them 4–3.

Owner Jack Kent Cooke brought in Bill Sharman as head coach,[78] and Elgin Baylor announced his retirement early in the season after realizing that his legs were not healthy enough.

[90] Wilt Chamberlain, playing in his final season, again led the league in rebounding and set the NBA record for field-goal percentage at 72.7% which stood for several decades.

[109][114][115] Nicknamed "Showtime" due to the team's new Johnson-led fast break-offense, the Lakers won the Pacific Division title and swept both the Suns and Spurs in the 1982 playoffs.

However, Kevin McHale's hard clothesline foul of Lakers forward Kurt Rambis on a fast break is credited as a turning point of the series.

[127] Johnson won his first career MVP Award while leading the Lakers to a 65–17 record,[127] and Michael Cooper was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

They swept the Spurs in the first round of the Western Conference Finals before pulling out a tough seven-game series win over the Utah Jazz led by youngsters Karl Malone and John Stockton.

[143] Johnson decided not to take the job permanently due to what he felt was a lack of commitment from certain players, and Los Angeles ended the season with a 10-game losing streak to finish 33–49.

[149] After some run-ins with Van Exel, displeasure with Harris's strategies, and a first-round loss to the Rockets, Johnson decided to retire for the final time after the season.

[165] Before the 1999–2000 season, West was prepared to hire Rambis as the team's full-time coach before an outcry from fans and members of the organization caused him to seek out a bigger name.

[189][190] Before the season, the Lakers signed two-time MVP Karl Malone formerly of the Jazz, and former Seattle Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton to join O'Neal and Bryant,[191] forming the first "superteam" of the 21st century.

During the 2004 off-season, the team entered a rebuilding phase when O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, and a first-round draft pick.

[217] After re-acquiring Derek Fisher, the Lakers started the 2007–08 season with a 25–11 record, before Andrew Bynum, their center who was leading the league in field-goal percentage, went out for the year due to a knee injury in mid-January.

[218] In what would become a crucial transfer for the franchise's return to championship form, they acquired the six-time all-star power forward Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in a trade in early February and went 22–5 to finish the season.

[226] The Lakers, who had added Ron Artest (Metta World Peace)[227] in place of Trevor Ariza in their starting lineup, finished the 2009–10 season with the best record in the Western Conference for the third straight time.

[272] The Lakers also acquired Kyle Kuzma from the University of Utah with the 27th overall pick from a draft-day trade, along with Brook Lopez in exchange for D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov.

Other veterans picked up during the off-season included Carmelo Anthony, DeAndre Jordan, and returning players Wayne Ellington, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo.

[304] On February 1, 2025, the Lakers traded Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick in 2029 for all-star guard Luka Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris.

[322] Marty Marion, a retired baseball player and manager, and his business partner Milton Fischman attempted to purchase the team with the intention of moving the club to Kansas City, Missouri.

Attendance remained poor, and the NBA had put the Lakers on "financial probation", notifying them that if they did not meet certain ticket sales numbers they could be bought out by the league and relocated.

[351][352][346] In March, the dispute was resolved in Jeanie's favor when the Buss siblings gave her lifetime operational control over the team,[347] "as long as the family owns the Lakers.

[353] As of 2024, ownership of the Lakers is divided among the following parties: the Buss Family Trusts (66%);[347] Mark Walter (20%);[354] Todd Boehly (7%);[354][355] Patrick Soon-Shiong (4%),[349] and Ed Roski Jr.

[361] In 2009 major sponsors included Verizon Wireless, Toyota, Anheuser-Busch, American Express, and Carl's Jr., and the team's $113 average ticket price was the highest in the league.

[364] Red Hot Chili Peppers' song "Magic Johnson", from their 1989 album Mother's Milk, is a tribute to the former point guard, and frontman Anthony Kiedis and bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary are frequently seen attending home games.

[385] Other draft picks include Jerry West and Gail Goodrich in the 1960s, Michael Cooper and Norm Nixon in the 1970s, A.C. Green and Vlade Divac in the 1980s, Elden Campbell, Nick Van Exel, Derek Fisher and Devean George in the 1990s, and Luke Walton, Sasha Vujačić, and Ronny Turiaf in the 2000s.

George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Jerry West, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott and Luke Walton have all played and head-coached for the Lakers.

[427] On February 14, 2011, Time Warner Cable and the Lakers announced the formation of two new regional sports networks (one in English, one in Spanish) that would exclusively televise the team's games and related programming for 20 years starting with the 2012–13 season.