2019–20 Los Angeles Lakers season

On April 9, 2019, Magic Johnson stepped down as president of basketball operations.[4] Three days after that, Luke Walton and the team agreed to part ways.[5] On May 13, the team hired Frank Vogel as their new head coach[6] and Jason Kidd was named an assistant coach.[7]

The Lakers held one first round draft pick for the 2019 NBA Draft.[8][9] They previously held the rights to two second rounders in this year's draft as well, but those selections were later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks as picks 34 and 41, respectively.[10][11] On the night of the NBA draft lottery, the Lakers rose up seven spots from the projected 11th selection to the 4th pick of the draft.[12] On June 15, the Lakers agreed to a trade that would send players Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart, and multiple draft picks, including the Lakers' 2019 1st round draft pick, to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis. However, the trade was not finalized until July 6, during which time, the Washington Wizards were included in the deal as well.[13]

On June 15, 2019, the Lakers agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans to acquire six-time NBA All-Star power forward Anthony Davis, though the deal would not take full effect until July 6.[13] In exchange for Davis, the Lakers agreed to give up forward Brandon Ingram, guards Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, three first round picks (including their No. 4 overall selection in 2019), and a first round pick swap in 2023. On June 27, the Washington Wizards joined the trade to get Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones and the Lakers' 2022 second-round pick in exchange for cash considerations.[14]

[15]

LeBron James and Davis would be selected to the All-Star Game for the 16th straight, and seventh straight years respectively. James would take Davis with the No. 1 pick in the All-Star draft. Additionally, Vogel was also selected to coach Team LeBron in the All-Star Game. Team LeBron would go on to win 157–155, with Davis hitting a game-winning free throw.

By adding Davis, the Lakers got off to a fast start to the season, which included a 17–2 record by the end of November. Four months later, they were able to clinch their first playoff berth since the 2012–13 season with a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on March 6.

However, five days after clinching their playoff berth, the NBA season was abruptly suspended by league officials [18] after it was reported that Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19.[19] Two unidentified players of the Lakers would later test positive for COVID-19 on March 19.[20] The season resumed, but Avery Bradley opted out of playing in the restart to remain with his family due to his oldest child, who had a history of struggling to recover from respiratory illnesses.[21] The Lakers replaced him on the roster with J. R. Smith.[22]

On January 26, 2020, tragedy struck the Lakers organization when former All-Star guard Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of his daughter Gianna "Gigi" Bryant and seven other passengers. Bryant was 41 at the time of his death, and Gigi was 13. This prompted the Lakers to dedicate the rest of their season to his memory.[23][24][25][26]

† Originally scheduled for August 26. Game 5 was rescheduled due to a boycott from NBA players following the police involved shooting of Jacob Blake.[27]

In the NBA playoffs, the Lakers faced off against the eight-seed Portland Trail Blazers in the first round and won the series in 5 games. In Western Conference semi-finals, they faced off against the fourth seed Houston Rockets, again winning in five games. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2010, where they faced and defeated the Denver Nuggets in five games. They reached the NBA Finals for the first time in a decade, where they faced off the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, marking the first meeting between the two teams in the NBA Finals. The Lakers won the series in 6 games, winning the championship for the first time since the 2010 season. They became the first team since the 2007–08 Boston Celtics to go directly from a non-playoff season to a championship. This championship win also saw the Lakers tie the Celtics with the highest number of NBA championship wins at 17.[28][29] The Lakers' LeBron James was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the fourth time in his career. He became the first player in league history to be named Finals MVP with three different franchises (two with the Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one with the Lakers) and the fourth player to win the NBA Finals with three different teams.[30] Lakers president Jeanie Buss became the first female controlling owner to guide her team to an NBA title.[31][32]