2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season


The 2000–01 NBA season was the Lakers' 53rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 41st in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers entered the season as the defending NBA champions, having defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals in six games, winning their twelfth NBA championship. During the offseason, the Lakers acquired Horace Grant from the Seattle SuperSonics. Grant won three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s. The team also signed free agent Isaiah Rider, who was released by the Atlanta Hawks the previous season due to off the court troubles. The Lakers won their final eight games finishing the regular season with a 56–26 record, and won the Pacific Division over the rival Sacramento Kings by one game. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were both selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, but O'Neal did not play due to an injury. The Lakers clinched the #2 seed in the playoffs.
In the playoffs, the Lakers swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, swept the Kings in the semifinals, then swept the top–seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. They went on to win the NBA Finals 4–1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, earning the franchise its 13th NBA championship. It was the second of the Lakers' three-peat championships to begin the millennium. The Lakers would finish with the then-best postseason record in NBA history, posting a 15–1 record, suffering their only loss in a Game 1 overtime loss to the 76ers in the NBA Finals. That record would last for 16 years until the Golden State Warriors went 16–1 in the 2017 playoffs.
Following the season, Grant re-signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic, Rider signed with the Denver Nuggets, Tyronn Lue signed with the Washington Wizards and Ron Harper retired.

Draft picks

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityCollege
129Mark MadsenFUnited StatesStanford

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

Playoffs

Playoffs

West First Round

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Western Conference Finals

West Conference Semifinals

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings
Last Playoff Meeting: 2000 Western Conference First Round

West Conference Finals

San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Last Playoff Meeting: 1999 Western Conference Semifinals

NBA Finals

The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.
∗ denotes a game that required overtime.

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Award winners