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1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers season

Season of National Basketball Association team the Los Angeles Lakers

Prime Ticket (Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz) (Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz) (lost to Suns 1–4)

The 1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 42nd season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 30th in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers drafted Yugoslavian center Vlade Divac with the 26th overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft.

Despite the retirement of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and an NBA Finals defeat in which they were swept in four games by the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers got off to a fast start by winning ten of their first eleven games of the regular season, and holding a 35–11 record at the All-Star break. The team finished in first place in the Pacific Division with a league-best 63–19 record, and earned the first seed in the Western Conference.

Magic Johnson averaged 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game, led the Lakers with 106 three-point field goals, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while James Worthy averaged 21.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, and Byron Scott contributed 15.5 points per game. In addition, A.C. Green provided the team with 12.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, while sixth man Orlando Woolridge contributed 12.7 points per game, and Mychal Thompson provided with 10.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Divac averaged 8.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, while defensive guard Michael Cooper contributed 6.4 points per game, and Larry Drew provided with 5.2 points and 2.7 assists per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Miami Arena in Miami, Florida, Johnson, Worthy and Green were all selected for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, while head coach Pat Riley was selected to coach the Western Conference; it was Green's first and only All-Star appearance. Johnson scored 22 points along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, despite the Western Conference losing to the Eastern Conference, 130–113.

Johnson won the NBA Most Valuable Player of the Year award, for the third time in four years, in a controversial voting over Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers; Johnson received fewer first-place votes (27 of the 92 cast) than Barkley (38), but totaled 636 points in the ballot compared to Barkley's 614. Meanwhile, Riley was named the NBA Coach of the Year for the first time, and Woolridge finished tied in third place in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1990 NBA playoffs, the Lakers faced off against the 8th–seeded Houston Rockets, a team that featured All-Star center Akeem Olajuwon, Otis Thorpe and Sleepy Floyd. The Lakers won the first two games over the Rockets at home at the Great Western Forum, before losing Game 3 on the road, 114–108 at The Summit. The Lakers won Game 4 over the Rockets on the road, 109–88 to win the series in four games.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, and for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the 5th–seeded Phoenix Suns, who were led by the quartet of All-Star forward Tom Chambers, All-Star guard Kevin Johnson, Jeff Hornacek, and sixth man Eddie Johnson. The Lakers lost Game 1 to the Suns at home, 104–102 at the Great Western Forum, but managed to win Game 2 at home, 124–100 to even the series. However, the Lakers lost the next two games to the Suns on the road at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and then lost Game 5 at the Great Western Forum, 106–103, thus losing the series in five games; it was the first time in nine years that the Lakers did not reach the Western Conference Finals, ending a run that started in 1982, the longest series of consecutive NBA Conference Finals appearances since Bill Russell's Boston Celtics in 1969.

Following the season, Riley resigned as head coach after nine seasons with the Lakers; he would later on return to coach the New York Knicks for the 1991–92 season. Also following the season, Woolridge was traded to the Denver Nuggets, and Cooper was released to free agency, and left to play overseas in Italy.

Draft picks

Main article: 1989 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Club
1	26	Vlade Divac	C		YUG KK Partizan

Roster

Pat Riley
Bill Bertka
Jim Eyen
Randy Pfund
Gary Vitti

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

Regular season

Playoffs

3–1
- style="background:#fcc;"
1
May 8
Phoenix
L 102–104
Johnson & Worthy (22)
A.C. Green (13)
Magic Johnson (14)
Great Western Forum
17,505
0–1
- style="background:#cfc;"
2
May 10
Phoenix
W 124–100
James Worthy (27)
A.C. Green (13)
Magic Johnson (14)
Great Western Forum
17,505
1–1
- style="background:#fcc;"
3
May 12
@ Phoenix
L 103–117
James Worthy (27)
A.C. Green (10)
Magic Johnson (16)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,487
1–2
- style="background:#fcc;"
4
May 13
@ Phoenix
L 101–114
Magic Johnson (43)
A.C. Green (18)
Magic Johnson (10)
Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,487
1–3
- style="background:#fcc;"
5
May 15
Phoenix
L 103–106
Magic Johnson (43)
Divac & Johnson (8)
Magic Johnson (7)
Great Western Forum
17,505
1–4
-

Player statistics

Regular season

|- | 18 || 0 || 4.2 || .273 || .000 || .833 || .4 || .6 || .1 || .1 || 1.3 |- | 80 || 10 || 23.1 || .387 || .318 || .883 || 2.8 || 2.7 || .8 || .5 || 6.4 |- | 82 || 5 || 19.6 || .499 || .000 || .708 || 6.2 || .9 || 1.0 || 1.4 || 8.5 |- | 80 || 3 || 16.7 || .444 || .395 || .767 || 1.2 || 2.7 || .6 || .1 || 5.2 |- | 82 || 82 || 33.0 || .478 || .283 || .751 || 8.7 || 1.1 || .8 || .6 || 12.9 |- | 6 || 0 || 3.0 || || || .500 || .2 || .2 || .2 || .3 || .2 |- | 79 || 79 || 37.2 || .480 || .384 || .890 || 6.6 || 11.5 || 1.7 || .4 || 22.3 |- | 13 || 0 || 5.0 || .308 || || .750 || .5 || .2 || .2 || .1 || 1.7 |- | 33 || 1 || 5.8 || .442 || || .650 || 1.9 || .1 || .1 || .0 || 3.1 |- | 3 || 0 || 3.0 || .667 || || .500 || .3 || .3 || .0 || .0 || 1.7 |- | 77 || 77 || 33.7 || .470 || .423 || .766 || 3.1 || 3.6 || 1.0 || .4 || 15.5 |- | 70 || 70 || 26.9 || .500 || || .706 || 6.8 || .6 || .5 || 1.0 || 10.1 |- | 24 || 1 || 8.3 || .526 || .000 || .667 || 1.1 || .4 || .3 || .1 || 3.8 |- | 62 || 2 || 22.9 || .556 || .000 || .733 || 3.0 || 1.5 || .6 || .7 || 12.7 |- | 80 || 80 || 37.0 || .548 || .306 || .782 || 6.0 || 3.6 || 1.2 || .6 || 21.1 |}

Playoffs

|- | 9 || 0 || 19.2 || .286 || .250 || || 2.7 || 2.8 || .8 || .4 || 2.6 |- | 9 || 1 || 19.4 || .727 || .500 || .895 || 5.3 || 1.1 || .9 || 1.7 || 9.1 |- | 7 || 0 || 7.3 || .375 || .250 || .833 || .3 || .6 || .4 || .0 || 1.7 |- | 9 || 9 || 28.0 || .519 || || .750 || 9.0 || 1.0 || .6 || .4 || 11.8 |- | 9 || 9 || 41.8 || .490 || .200 || .886 || 6.3 || 12.8 || 1.2 || .1 || 25.2 |- | 2 || 0 || 2.5 || || || || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- | 2 || 0 || 2.5 || .250 || || || .5 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0 |- | 9 || 9 || 36.1 || .462 || .382 || .769 || 4.1 || 2.6 || 2.2 || .3 || 13.4 |- | 9 || 8 || 25.0 || .477 || || .615 || 4.3 || .2 || .2 || 1.4 || 6.4 |- | 3 || 0 || 2.7 || .000 || || || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- | 9 || 0 || 22.1 || .571 || .000 || .703 || 2.6 || 1.1 || .9 || .9 || 11.8 |- | 9 || 9 || 40.7 || .497 || .250 || .837 || 5.6 || 3.0 || 1.6 || .3 || 24.2 |}

† Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Lakers only.

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Magic Johnson, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
Pat Riley, NBA Coach of the Year Award
Magic Johnson, All-NBA First Team
James Worthy, All-NBA Third Team
Magic Johnson, NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award
Vlade Divac, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

Transactions

Main article: List of 1989–90 NBA season transactions

References

[https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1990.html 1989-90 Los Angeles Lakers]
Goldaper, Sam. (June 28, 1989). "Kings Take Ellison First in N.B.A. Draft; Clippers Pick Ferry". The New York Times.
McManis, Sam. (June 28, 1989). "THE NBA DRAFT: The Other Teams: Sacramento's Secret Is Out: It's Ellison". Los Angeles Times.
"1989 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
McManis, Sam. (November 27, 1989). "Lakers Blast Spurs, Avenge Only Defeat". Los Angeles Times.
"NBA Games Played on February 8, 1990". Basketball-Reference.
"1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
"1989–90 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
McManis, Sam. (January 26, 1990). "A.C. Green Boxes Out Unhappy Malone for Starting Berth: NBA All-Stars: Utah Player Says He Will Boycott Game. Magic and Worthy Make It Three Lakers on West Squad". Los Angeles Times.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (February 11, 1990). "NBA ALL-STAR GAME: Entire Family Is Back Together--Almost". Los Angeles Times.
(September 13, 2021). "1990 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
Brown, Clifton. (February 12, 1990). "For Johnson, Honor and Awe". The New York Times.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (February 12, 1990). "East Stars Put It Together, But Magic Has Hardware: Pro Basketball: Laker Guard Earns MVP in Losing Effort as Rest of His West Teammates Are Shut Down, 130-113". Los Angeles Times.
"1990 NBA All-Star Game: East 130, West 113". Basketball-Reference.
Florence, Mal. (May 23, 1990). "MVP Voting Is the Closest in 10 Years: Pro Basketball: Magic Johnson Wins It Again, Although Barkley Gets More First-Place Votes. Jordan Finishes Third". Los Angeles Times.
(May 23, 1990). "SPORTS PEOPLE: PRO BASKETBALL; M.V.P. Controversy". The New York Times.
"NBA MVP & ABA Most Valuable Player Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.
"1989–90 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
(May 14, 1990). "Lakers' Riley Voted Coach of the Year". Los Angeles Times.
(May 15, 1990). "Riley Is Coach of Year". The New York Times.
"NBA & ABA Coach of the Year Award Winners". Basketball-Reference.
(May 4, 1990). "Worthy Helps Lakers Eliminate Rockets". The New York Times.
McManis, Sam. (May 4, 1990). "Now Lakers Don't Have to Run for Cover, 109-88: NBA Playoffs: Pep Talk by Riley, Move to Straight-Up Defense Bear Fruit as Los Angeles Wins Playoff Series". Los Angeles Times.
"1990 NBA Western Conference First Round: Rockets vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
Brady, Frank. (May 16, 1990). "Suns Rally to Beat Lakers, Earning Trip to West Final". The New York Times.
McManis, Sam. (May 16, 1990). "Lakers Let Season Trickle Away: Game 5: Magic Johnson Scores 43, But the Suns Come Back from 15-Point Deficit to Clinch Series, 106-103". Los Angeles Times.
"1990 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Suns vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
"Los Angeles Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
(June 11, 1990). "Pat Riley Quits Lakers After 4 Titles, 9 Seasons". Los Angeles Times.
McManis, Sam. (June 12, 1990). "Laker Change a Smooth One: Pat Riley: He Decided to Resign 10 Days Ago, But Delay Was to Allow Lakers to Work Out Easy Transition, Unlike 1981". Los Angeles Times.
Brady, Frank. (June 12, 1990). "Dunleavy Replaces Riley as Coach of Lakers". The New York Times.
Goldaper, Sam. (May 31, 1991). "Knicks Win a Big One as They're Set to Sign Riley". The New York Times.
Brown, Clifton. (June 1, 1991). "BASKETBALL; Now the Hard Part for Riley: Coaching Knicks". The New York Times.
Hudson, Maryann. (June 1, 1991). "Riley Will Leave TV, Coach Knicks: NBA: Former Laker Coach Reportedly Will Get $6 Million Over Five Years in New York". Los Angeles Times.
Heisler, Mark. (August 4, 1990). "Lakers Send Woolridge to Denver: Pro Basketball: Trade Nets Second-Round Draft Picks for 1993 and '95, Helps Reduce Payroll". Los Angeles Times.
(August 3, 1990). "Nuggets Obtain Woolridge from Lakers". United Press International.
Springer, Steve. (August 16, 1990). "Lakers Send Off Cooper: Pro Basketball: As He Requested, the Guard Is Waived, Opening the Door for Him to Go to the Italian League". Los Angeles Times.
(August 18, 1990). "After a Dozen Seasons and Five Championships...". Los Angeles Times.

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