Los Angeles Lakers · Franchise era 7 of 8

The difficult rebuild: the Los Angeles Lakers story

Franchise era

2012–13—2017–18

The difficult rebuild

Los Angeles Lakers

The story in one sentence

Injuries broke an ambitious veteran roster, and the Lakers spent several years developing young players after Bryant's final run.

01

An aging gamble gives way to the lottery

02

Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram gave the era its recognizable core.

03

Its ending created the conditions for lebron, davis and another banner.

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Before 2012–13

    What came before

    Bryant carried transitional teams, then Gasol's arrival created a skilled, versatile champion in 2009 and 2010.

  2. After 2017–18

    What came next

    James and Davis restored the Lakers to the summit with the 2020 championship before another major roster handoff reshaped the future.

The core

Faces of the chapter

← Previous eraKobe's second act2004–05—2011–12Next era →LeBron, Davis and another banner2018–19—present