2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 53rd season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 41st season in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers entered the regular 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 off-season, the Lakers acquired Horace Grant from the Seattle SuperSonics; Grant won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s. The team also signed free agent Isaiah Rider, who was released by the Atlanta Hawks during the previous season due to off-the-court troubles, and signed Greg Foster, who had two NBA Finals appearances with the Utah Jazz.

Derek Fisher only played just 20 games due to a stress fracture in his right foot, which forced him to miss the first 62 games of the regular season. Without Fisher, the Lakers got off to a 3–3 start to the season, but then won eight of their next nine games, and later on held a 31–16 record at the All-Star break. Fisher eventually returned as the team won their final eight games of the season, and won the Pacific Division title by finishing with a 56–26 record, earning the second seed in the Western Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

Shaquille O'Neal averaged 28.7 points, 12.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, while Kobe Bryant averaged 28.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. In addition, Fisher provided the team with 11.5 points, 4.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while Rick Fox contributed 9.6 points per game, and led the Lakers with 118 three-point field goals, and Grant provided with 8.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Rider contributed 7.6 points per game off the bench, while Ron Harper averaged 6.5 points per game, but only played just 47 games due to knee injuries, Brian Shaw contributed 5.3 points per game, and Robert Horry provided with 5.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., O'Neal and Bryant were both selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, although O'Neal did not participate due to a foot injury. Both O'Neal and Bryant were also selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, as O'Neal finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting with 7 first-place votes, while Bryant finished in ninth place.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2001 NBA playoffs, and for the second consecutive year, the Lakers faced off against the 7th–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, a team that featured All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace, Steve Smith and Scottie Pippen. The Lakers won the first two games over the Trail Blazers at home at the Staples Center, before winning Game 3 on the road, 99–86 at the Rose Garden Arena to win the series in a three-game sweep.

In the Western Conference Semi-finals, and also for the second consecutive year, the team faced off against the 3rd–seeded Sacramento Kings, who were led by All-Star forward Chris Webber, Peja Stojaković, and All-Star and former Lakers center, Vlade Divac. The Lakers won the first two games over the Kings at the Staples Center, and then won the next two games on the road, including a Game 4 win over the Kings at the ARCO Arena II, 119–113 to win the series in a four-game sweep.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers then faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star forward Tim Duncan, All-Star center David Robinson, and Derek Anderson. Despite the Spurs having home-court advantage in the series, the Lakers won the first two games on the road at the Alamodome, and took a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, the Lakers defeated the Spurs by a 39-point margin at home, 111–72 at the Staples Center, and then won Game 4 at home, 111–82 to win the series in another four-game sweep, and advance to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.

In the 2001 NBA Finals, the Lakers faced off against the top–seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who were led by All-Star guard, and Most Valuable Player of the Year, Allen Iverson, All-Star center and Defensive Player of the Year, Dikembe Mutombo, and Sixth Man of the Year, Aaron McKie. The Lakers lost Game 1 to the 76ers at home in overtime, 107–101 at the Staples Center, in which Iverson scored 48 points along with 5 steals. However, the Lakers managed to win Game 2 at home, 98–89 to even the series, and then won the next three games on the road, including a Game 5 win over the 76ers at the First Union Center, 108–96 to win the series in five games; the Lakers won their second consecutive NBA championship, earning the franchise its 13th championship overall, as O'Neal was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the second straight year. It was the second of the Lakers' three-peat championships to begin the millennium.

The Lakers finished eighth in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 776,336 at the Staples Center during the regular season. The team also finished with the then-best postseason record in NBA history, posting a 15–1 record, suffering their only loss in Game 1 of the NBA Finals to the 76ers; that record would last for 16 years until the Golden State Warriors went 16–1 in the 2017 NBA playoffs.

Following the season, Grant re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Orlando Magic, while Rider signed with the Denver Nuggets, Tyronn Lue signed with the Washington Wizards, Foster was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, and Harper retired.