1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers season

A ticket for a March 1981 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.

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.

Roster

Roster listing

1980–81 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)	From
C	33	Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem	7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1947–04–16	UCLA
PF	8, 40	Brewer, Jim	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1951–12–03	Minnesota
SF	24	Carter, Butch	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1958–06–11	Indiana
PF	9	Chones, Jim	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1949–11–30	Marquette
SG	21	Cooper, Michael	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1956–04–15	New Mexico
SG	25	Hardy, Alan	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1957–05–25	Michigan
G	14	Holland, Brad	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1956–12–06	UCLA
SG	32	Johnson, Magic	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1959–08–14	Michigan State
PG	15	Jordan, Eddie	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1955–01–29	Rutgers
PF	54	Landsberger, Mark	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1955–05–21	Arizona State
PG	10	Nixon, Norm	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1955–10–11	Duquesne
SF	52	Wilkes, Jamaal	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1953–05–02	UCLA

Head coach

Paul Westhead

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 1980–12–02

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

Notes

z, y – division champions
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Playoffs

West First Round

(3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Houston Rockets: Rockets win series 2-1

Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Houston 111, Los Angeles 107
Game 2 @ Houston: Los Angeles 111, Houston 106
Game 3 @ Los Angeles: Houston 89, Los Angeles 86

Player statistics

Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game

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