1992–93 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1992–93 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 45th season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 33rd season in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers had the 15th overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, and selected shooting guard Anthony Peeler from the University of Missouri. During the off-season, the team signed free agent James Edwards, who won two NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons between 1989 and 1990, and hired Randy Pfund as their new head coach.

After playing in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, All-Star guard Magic Johnson made a brief comeback and played with the Lakers during the preseason. However, shortly before the regular season began, he was forced to retire again after 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.

Under Pfund and with the addition of Peeler, the Lakers got off to a 13–6 start to the regular season, and continued to play above .500 in winning percentage with a 26–23 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the team traded Sam Perkins to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Benoit Benjamin, and rookie shooting guard, and top draft pick Doug Christie out of Pepperdine University. 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, and finishing in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 39–43 record, their worst record since the 1974–75 season, but still qualified for the NBA playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Sedale Threatt averaged 15.1 points, 6.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while James Worthy finished second on the team in scoring averaging 14.9 points per game, and Byron Scott contributed 13.7 points per game. In addition, Vlade Divac provided the team with 12.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, while A.C. Green provided with 12.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Peeler contributed 10.4 points per game, while Elden Campbell averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, Edwards provided with 6.3 points per game, Christie averaged 6.2 points per game in 23 games after the trade, and Tony Smith contributed 6.0 points per game.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1993 NBA playoffs, the Lakers faced off against the top–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Phoenix Suns, who were led by the All-Star trio of Most Valuable Player of the Year, Charles Barkley, three-point specialist Dan Majerle, and Kevin Johnson. Prior to the playoffs, the Lakers replaced Worthy in the starting lineup with Campbell, as Worthy played a sixth man role off the bench for the final 13 games of the regular season, and for the team's first-round series against the Suns; the Lakers were also without Peeler, who was out due to a season-ending right ankle injury. The Lakers won the first two games over the Suns on the road, which included a Game 2 win at the America West Arena, 86–81. However, the Lakers lost the next two games at home at the Great Western Forum, before losing Game 5 to the Suns at the America West Arena in overtime, 112–104, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series. The Suns would advance to the 1993 NBA Finals, but would lose to the 2-time defending NBA champion Chicago Bulls in six games.

The Lakers finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 633,655 at the Great Western Forum during the regular season. Following the season, Green signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns, while Scott signed with the Indiana Pacers during the next season, and Benjamin was traded to the New Jersey Nets.