 During the offseason, the Lakers signed All-Star guard Mitch Richmond and free agent Samaki Walker, while acquiring Lindsey Hunter from the Milwaukee Bucks.The team got off to a fast start winning 16 of their first 17 games, and finished second in the Pacific Division with a 58–24 record.Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were both selected for the 2002 NBA All-Star Game in which Bryant won MVP honors despite being booed by the hometown crowd, but O'Neal did not participate in the All-Star game due to an injury for the second year in a row.