Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Lands in Los Angeles After Blockbuster 1975 Trade
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On June 16, 1975, the Los Angeles Lakers completed a franchise-changing deal, acquiring center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and forward Walt Wesley from the Milwaukee Bucks. In exchange, Milwaukee received Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers.
The swap came eight months after Abdul-Jabbar told Bucks executives in October 1974 that he wanted to be moved. At that point, he had already delivered one championship to Milwaukee and had driven the club to a Game 7 in the 1974 NBA Finals.
The early Los Angeles years
The transition was rocky at first. Los Angeles finished 40-42 in Abdul-Jabbar’s debut season and missed the playoffs. In 1977, he collected his fifth MVP award and returned the Lakers to postseason play after a two-year absence, but three straight playoff appearances ended without a title.
Magic Johnson arrives
The tide turned with the selection of Magic Johnson at No. 1 overall in the 1979 NBA Draft. The rookie famously filled in for an injured Abdul-Jabbar in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals, sealing the championship over the Philadelphia 76ers and launching the Lakers’ “Showtime” era.
Continued dominance
Abdul-Jabbar averaged 26.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 1981, earning spots on the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, although the Lakers fell to the Houston Rockets in the opening round. They bounced back in 1982, again defeating Philadelphia for the crown.
After consecutive Finals defeats, Los Angeles captured three more titles in 1985, 1987 and 1988. Abdul-Jabbar, 38 at the time, was named Finals MVP in 1985, becoming the oldest player to claim the honor; the 14-year gap between his two Finals MVP awards remains an NBA record.
Final season and legacy
The 1988-89 campaign was Abdul-Jabbar’s last. He averaged 10.1 points and shot below 50 percent for the first time, and the injury-plagued Lakers were swept by the Detroit Pistons in the Finals. He retired as a six-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, six-time regular-season MVP, 19-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA First Team member and five-time All-Defensive First Team selection.
Abdul-Jabbar still tops the league’s all-time lists in points, field goals made and minutes played, while ranking fourth in rebounds, third in blocks and second in games played. The Lakers retired his No. 33 jersey on March 20, 1990, and unveiled a bronze statue outside what is now Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 16, 2012.
Source: Lakers Nation
