1968–69 Los Angeles Lakers season
NBA professional basketball team season
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1968–69 NBA season was the Lakers' 21st season in the NBA and ninth season in Los Angeles . This season saw the Lakers acquire Wilt Chamberlain from the Philadelphia 76ers in a trade that sent Jerry Chambers , Archie Clark , and Darrall Imhoff to the 76ers. The team also lost future star Gail Goodrich to the Phoenix Suns via expansion draft.
The Lakers would make it to the NBA Finals , but would lose to the Boston Celtics in seven games despite being the heavy favorites. This marked the Lakers' seventh consecutive defeat to the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Jerry West , who averaged nearly 38 points per game in the Finals, became the inaugural recipient of the Finals Most Valuable Player award . To date he is the only player in NBA history to win the award as a member of the losing team.
Offseason
Draft picks
Roster
1968–69 Los Angeles Lakers roster
Players
Coaches
Pos.
No.
Name
Height
Weight
DOB
From
SG
30
Anderson, Cliff
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1944-09-07
Saint Joseph's
SF
22
Baylor, Elgin
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
1934-09-16
Seattle
PF
52
Carty, Jay
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1941-07-04
Oregon State
C
13
Chamberlain, Wilt
7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
275 lb (125 kg)
1936-08-21
Kansas
PF
31
Counts, Mel
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1941-10-16
Oregon State
SG
12
Crawford, Freddie
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
189 lb (86 kg)
1941-12-33
St. Bonaventure
PG
21
Egan, Johnny
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1939-01-31
Providence
SG
24
Erickson, Keith
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1944-04-19
UCLA
SF
33
Hawkins, Tom
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1936-12-22
Notre Dame
PF
30
Hewitt, Bill
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1944-08-08
USC
PG
44
West, Jerry
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1938-05-28
West Virginia
Head coach
Legend
(DP) Unsigned draft pick(FA) Free agent(S) Suspended Injured
Roster Last transaction: October 17, 1968
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
1968-69 NBA Records
Team
ATL
BAL
BOS
CHI
CIN
DET
LAL
MIL
NYK
PHI
PHO
SDR
SFW
SEA
Atlanta
–
2–4
3–3
6–1
4–2
6–0
3–4
4–2
2–4
1–5
6–0
3–4
4–3
4–2
Baltimore
4–2
–
5–2
6–0
4–3
7–0
3–3
5–1
3–4
2–4
6–0
5–1
3–3
4–2
Boston
3–3
2–5
–
4–2
5–2
5–1
2–4
5–1
1–6
5–2
6–0
4–2
3–3
3–3
Chicago
1–6
0–6
2–4
–
1–5
3–3
3–4
5–1
2–4
1–5
4–2
3–3
4–3
4–3
Cincinnati
2–4
3–4
2–5
5–1
–
3–4
2–4
5–1
4–2
3–4
4–2
2–4
3–3
3–3
Detroit
0–6
0–7
1–5
3–3
4–3
–
3–3
2–4
3–4
3–4
4–2
3–3
2–4
4–2
Los Angeles
4–3
3–3
4–2
4–3
4–2
3–3
–
5–1
5–1
1–5
6–0
7–0
4–3
5–1
Milwaukee
2–4
1–5
1–5
1–5
1–5
4–2
1–5
–
0–6
0–6
6–2
4–2
3–3
3–5
New York
4–2
4–3
6–1
4–2
2–4
4–3
1–5
6–0
–
4–3
5–1
3–3
5–1
6–0
Philadelphia
5–1
4–2
2–5
5–1
4–3
4–3
5–1
6–0
3–4
–
5–1
4–2
2–4
6–0
Phoenix
0–6
0–6
0–6
2–4
2–4
2–4
0–6
2–6
1–5
1–5
–
1–7
2–4
3–3
San Diego
4–3
1–5
2–4
3–3
4–2
3–3
0–7
2–4
3–3
2–4
7–1
–
3–3
3–3
San Francisco
3–4
3–3
3–3
3–4
3–3
4–2
3–4
3–3
1–5
4–2
4–2
3–3
–
4–3
Seattle
2–4
2–4
3–3
3–4
3–3
2–4
1–5
5–3
0–6
0–6
3–3
3–3
3–4
—
Game log
1968–69 game log
#
Date
Opponent
Score
High points
Record
1
October 18
@ Philadelphia
96–114
Elgin Baylor (36)
0–1
2
October 19
@ New York
118–96
Wilt Chamberlain (29)
1–1
3
October 22
@ Cincinnati
103–107
Elgin Baylor (35)
1–2
4
October 23
@ Detroit
110–117
Elgin Baylor (31)
1–3
5
October 25
Baltimore
111–117
Jerry West (34)
2–3
6
October 27
San Diego
116–152
Elgin Baylor (32)
3–3
7
October 29
Atlanta
124–125
Elgin Baylor (28)
4–3
8
November 1
Chicago
114–101
Wilt Chamberlain (29)
4–4
9
November 3
@ Phoenix
127–109
Elgin Baylor (40)
5–4
10
November 5
@ Chicago
112–109 (OT)
Elgin Baylor (31)
6–4
11
November 6
N Milwaukee
115–128
Elgin Baylor (33)
7–4
12
November 8
New York
100–102
Jerry West (29)
8–4
13
November 10
New York
109–130
Elgin Baylor (26)
9–4
14
November 15
San Diego
119–127
Jerry West (34)
10–4
15
November 16
@ San Francisco
119–112
Jerry West (37)
11–4
16
November 17
Seattle
94–105
Elgin Baylor (26)
12–4
17
November 19
Boston
106–116
Elgin Baylor (30)
13–4
18
November 22
San Francisco
100–98
Jerry West (23)
13–5
19
November 24
Chicago
100–103
Elgin Baylor (35)
14–5
20
November 26
@ New York
100–104
Wilt Chamberlain (23)
14–6
21
November 28
@ Philadelphia
107–122
Elgin Baylor (32)
14–7
22
November 29
@ Boston
93–92
Elgin Baylor (19)
15–7
23
December 1
Milwaukee
112–119
Elgin Baylor (34)
16–7
24
December 3
Phoenix
108–122
Wilt Chamberlain (35)
17–7
25
December 5
@ Baltimore
90–108
Jerry West (20)
17–8
26
December 6
@ Atlanta
99–94
Elgin Baylor (30)
18–8
27
December 7
@ Chicago
81–90
Jerry West (27)
18–9
28
December 8
San Diego
118–132
Wilt Chamberlain (35)
19–9
29
December 13
Atlanta
105–103
Elgin Baylor (25)
19–10
30
December 14
@ Seattle
136–120
Johnny Egan (26)
20–10
31
December 15
Seattle
114–115
Jerry West (28)
21–10
32
December 17
Cincinnati
108–112
Jerry West (36)
22–10
33
December 20
San Francisco
101–133
Elgin Baylor (25)
23–10
34
December 22
Philadelphia
99–102
Jerry West (27)
24–10
35
December 25
@ Phoenix
119–99
Jerry West (26)
25–10
36
December 26
@ Detroit
95–94
Jerry West (29)
26–10
37
December 28
@ Chicago
86–93
Jerry West (27)
26–11
38
December 29
Detroit
108–111
Jerry West (34)
27–11
39
December 30
@ San Diego
131–126 (OT)
Jerry West (40)
28–11
40
December 31
Detroit
127–107
Jerry West (29)
28–12
41
January 3
@ Philadelphia
101–130
Keith Erickson (20)
28–13
42
January 4
@ Atlanta
121–111
Keith Erickson (30)
29–13
43
January 7
@ Baltimore
100–93
Elgin Baylor (30)
30–13
44
January 10
@ Boston
82–88
Elgin Baylor (21)
30–14
45
January 11
@ Atlanta
100–104
Elgin Baylor (25)
30–15
46
January 17
Cincinnati
107–128
Chamberlain, West (27)
31–15
47
January 19
Cincinnati
117–132
Elgin Baylor (34)
32–15
48
January 21
@ Milwaukee
122–105
Jerry West (44)
33–15
49
January 22
@ Detroit
115–116
Jerry West (28)
33–16
50
January 24
@ Atlanta
106–110
Elgin Baylor (34)
33–17
51
January 26
N Cincinnati
126–113
Wilt Chamberlain (60)
34–17
52
January 28
Chicago
118–125
Jerry West (28)
35–17
53
January 29
@ San Diego
122–120
Wilt Chamberlain (30)
36–17
54
January 31
Milwaukee
104–105
Elgin Baylor (33)
37–17
55
February 1
@ San Francisco
106–101 (OT)
Elgin Baylor (34)
38–17
56
February 2
San Francisco
122–117 (3OT)
Mel Counts (31)
38–18
57
February 3
@ Seattle
107–114
Wilt Chamberlain (33)
38–19
58
February 7
Philadelphia
109–106
Jerry West (34)
38–20
59
February 8
@ Phoenix
122–104
Elgin Baylor (30)
39–20
60
February 9
Phoenix
116–134
Wilt Chamberlain (66)
40–20
61
February 12
@ Seattle
109–92
Wilt Chamberlain (32)
41–20
62
February 14
San Diego
109–115
Johnny Egan (28)
42–20
63
February 16
@ Milwaukee
97–106
Wilt Chamberlain (29)
42–21
64
February 18
@ New York
113–109
Wilt Chamberlain (31)
43–21
65
February 19
@ Baltimore
88–110
Wilt Chamberlain (26)
43–22
66
February 21
Boston
124–102
Wilt Chammberlain (35)
43–23
67
February 23
Philadelphia
125–121
Wilt Chamberlain (36)
43–24
68
February 25
Seattle
111–114 (OT)
Mel Counts (23)
44–24
69
February 28
Phoenix
117–121
Elgin Baylor (31)
45–24
70
March 1
@ San Diego
119–113
Elgin Baylor (37)
46–24
71
March 2
San Francisco
92–107
Jerry West (20)
47–24
72
March 4
Baltimore
116–108
Jerry West (29)
47–25
73
March 7
Boston
99–105 (OT)
Elgin Baylor (34)
48–25
74
March 9
Baltimore
109–120
Jerry West (34)
49–25
75
March 11
Detroit
101–137
Wilt Chamberlain (34)
50–25
76
March 12
@ San Francisco
85–97
Jerry West (28)
50–26
77
March 14
Milwaukee
103–111
Jerry West (23)
51–26
78
March 16
@ Boston
108–73
Bill Hewitt (19)
52–26
79
March 18
@ Chicago
93–92
Jerry West (28)
53–26
80
March 19
@ Cincinnati
128–136 (OT)
Baylor, West (28)
53–27
81
March 21
Atlanta
103–116
Elgin Baylor (21)
54–27
82
March 23
New York
111–128
Jerry West (34)
55–27
Playoffs
1969 playoff game log
Division Semi-finals: 4–2 (home: 1–2; road: 3–0)
Division finals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
NBA Finals: 3–4 (home: 3–1; road: 0–3)
Game
Date
Team
Score
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Location Attendance
Series
1
April 23
Boston
W 120–118
Jerry West (53)
Wilt Chamberlain (23)
Jerry West (10)
The Forum 17,554
1–0
2
April 25
Boston
W 118–112
Jerry West (41)
Wilt Chamberlain (19)
Egan , West (8)
The Forum 17,559
2–0
3
April 27
@ Boston
L 105–111
Jerry West (24)
Wilt Chamberlain (26)
Jerry West (6)
Boston Garden 14,037
2–1
4
April 29
@ Boston
L 88–89
Jerry West (40)
Wilt Chamberlain (31)
West , Baylor (4)
Boston Garden 15,128
2–2
5
May 1
Boston
W 117–104
Jerry West (39)
Wilt Chamberlain (31)
Jerry West (9)
The Forum 17,553
3–2
6
May 3
@ Boston
L 90–99
West , Baylor (26)
Wilt Chamberlain (18)
Wilt Chamberlain (4)
Boston Garden 15,128
3–3
7
May 5
Boston
L 106–108
Jerry West (42)
Wilt Chamberlain (27)
Jerry West (12)
The Forum 17,568
3–4
1969 schedule
Awards
References
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