1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 48th season for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association, and their 36th season in Los Angeles, California.^[1] It was also the highlight of retired All-Star guard, and Lakers legend Magic Johnson making a comeback at the age of 36; Johnson had retired from the NBA early into the 1991–92 season due to his HIV infection.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agents Corie Blount and Derek Strong.^[5][6]

The Lakers got off to a slow start by losing three of their first four games of the regular season, and played around .500 in winning percentage with a 17–17 start to the season. The team soon recovered holding a 24–18 record before Johnson's arrival on January 30, 1996, in a 128–118 home win over the Golden State Warriors at the Great Western Forum; Johnson scored 19 points along with 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes off the bench.^[7][8][9] The Lakers won ten of their twelve games in February, which included an eight-game winning streak, and held a 28–19 record at the All-Star break.^[10] The Lakers finished in second place in the Pacific Division with a 53–29 record, and earned the fourth seed in the Western Conference;^[11] it was their first 50-win season since the 1990–91 season.^[1]

Cedric Ceballos averaged 21.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Nick Van Exel provided the team with 14.9 points and 6.9 assists per game, and led them with 144 three-point field goals, and Johnson played a sixth man role off the bench, moving into the power forward position,^[12][13] averaging 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game in 32 games, starting in just nine of them. In addition, Elden Campbell averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, while Vlade Divac provided with 12.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and second-year guard Eddie Jones contributed 12.8 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Also off the bench, Anthony Peeler contributed 9.7 points per game and 105 three-point field goals, while Sedale Threatt provided with 7.3 points and 3.3 assists per game, and George Lynch averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.^[14]

Johnson finished in fifth place in Sixth Man of the Year voting, and also finished tied in twelfth place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[15] while Campbell finished in seventh place in Most Improved Player voting.^[15] Johnson also reached a milestone during the regular season, by passing his 10,000 career assist in a 102–89 road win over the Sacramento Kings, at the ARCO Arena II on March 7, 1996.^[16][17][18]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1996 NBA playoffs, the Lakers faced off against the 5th–seeded, and 2-time defending NBA champion Houston Rockets, a team that featured All-Star center Hakeem Olajuwon, All-Star guard Clyde Drexler, and Robert Horry. The Lakers lost Game 1 to the Rockets at home, 87–83 at the Great Western Forum, but managed to win Game 2 at home, 104–94 to even the series.^[19][20] However, the Lakers lost the next two games on the road, which included a Game 4 loss to the Rockets at The Summit, 102–94, thus losing the series in four games.^[21][22][23]

This season was not without controversy. In March, after a home game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Ceballos missed the team's charter flight to Seattle, Washington without explanation, as the Lakers were scheduled to play the SuperSonics again; Ceballos went missing for a few days, but later on returned to the team, and was suspended without pay.^[24][25][26] Their troubles continued when Van Exel shoved a referee, during a road game against the Denver Nuggets at the McNichols Sports Arena on April 9, and was suspended for the final seven games of the regular season.^[27][28][29] Johnson was also suspended for three games for bumping into a referee during a home game against the Phoenix Suns on April 14.^[30][31][32]

The Lakers finished 21st in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 649,634 at the Great Western Forum during the regular season.^[14][33] Following the season, Johnson decided to retire for the second and final time, after the Lakers' loss to the Rockets in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.^[34][35][36] Meanwhile, Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets after seven seasons with the Lakers,^[37][38][39] Peeler and Lynch were both traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies,^[40][41][42] Strong signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic,^[43][44] and Threatt was released to free agency.