2000–01 Los Angeles Lakers season
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record
33 January 3 Utah W 82-71 Kobe Bryant ( 31 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 17 ) Bryant & Fox ( 4 ) Staples Center 18,997 23-10
34 January 7 L.A. Clippers L 95-118 Shaquille O'Neal ( 33 ) Horace Grant ( 10 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 5 ) Staples Center 18,997 23-11
35 January 12 Cleveland W 101-98 Shaquille O'Neal ( 34 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 23 ) Bryant & Shaw ( 5 ) Staples Center 18,997 24-11
36 January 13 @ Utah L 103-111 Shaquille O'Neal ( 30 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 12 ) Harper & O'Neal ( 5 ) Delta Center 19,911 24-12
37 January 15 Vancouver W 113-112 ( OT ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 31 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 15 ) Kobe Bryant ( 11 ) Staples Center 18,318 25-12
38 January 19 Houston W 114-101 Shaquille O'Neal ( 41 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 11 ) Brian Shaw ( 5 ) Staples Center 18,997 26-12
39 January 21 Miami L 92-103 Kobe Bryant ( 34 ) Bryant & O'Neal ( 8 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 3 ) Staples Center 18,997 26-13
40 January 23 @ Seattle L 80-91 Shaquille O'Neal ( 29 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 9 ) Kobe Bryant ( 5 ) KeyArena 17,072 26-14
41 January 26 New Jersey W 113-101 Bryant & O'Neal ( 26 ) Bryant & O'Neal ( 9 ) Shaquille O'Neal ( 8 ) Staples Center 18,997 27-14
42 January 28 @ New York L 81-91 Kobe Bryant ( 33 ) Bryant & Horry ( 11 ) Tyronn Lue ( 4 ) Madison Square Garden 19,763 27-15
43 January 30 @ Cleveland W 102-96 Kobe Bryant ( 47 ) Horace Grant ( 14 ) Bryant & Harper ( 3 ) Gund Arena 20,253 28-15
44 January 31 @ Minnesota L 83-96 Kobe Bryant ( 24 ) Kobe Bryant ( 9 ) Bryant & Horry ( 5 ) Target Center 19,006 28-16
The 2000-01 NBA season was the Lakers' 53rd season in the National Basketball Association, and 41st in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers entered the season as the defending NBA champions, having defeated the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals in six games, winning their twelfth NBA championship. During the offseason, the Lakers acquired Horace Grant from the Seattle SuperSonics. Grant won three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s. The team also signed free agent Isaiah Rider, who was released by the Atlanta Hawks the previous season due to off the court troubles. The Lakers won their final eight games finishing the regular season with a 56-26 record, and won the Pacific Division over the rival Sacramento Kings by one game. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were both selected for the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, but O'Neal did not play due to an injury. The Lakers clinched the #2 seed in the playoffs. In the playoffs, the Lakers swept the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, swept the Kings in the semifinals, then swept the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. They went on to win the NBA Finals 4-1 against the Philadelphia 76ers, earning the franchise its 13th NBA championship. It was the second of the Lakers' three-peat championships to begin the millennium. The Lakers would finish with the then-best postseason record in NBA history, posting a 15-1 record, suffering their only loss in a Game 1 overtime loss to the 76ers in the NBA Finals.