The 1978–79 Los Angeles Lakers season was the Lakers' 31st season in the NBA and 19th season in Los Angeles.1978-79 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers improved their win total from the prior year to 47–35, but lost once again in the postseason to division rival Seattle, who would win the title that year.
It was the final season for the team under the ownership of Jack Kent Cooke, who sold the team to Jerry Buss the following summer. It was also the final season for former Laker legend Jerry West as coach; he returned to the organization three years later as general manager.
Offseason
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Nationality College 2 26 Ron Carter Virginia Military 2 38 Lew Massey North Carolina 3 60 Michael Cooper New Mexico 4 82 Harold Robertson Lincoln University 5 104 Carlos Terry Winston-Salem 6 126 Kim Stewart Washington 7 147 Larry Paige Colorado
Roster
Regular season
Season standings
z - clinched division title y - clinched division title x - clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
| 1 | April 10 | @ Denver | L 105–110 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) | Norm Nixon (11) | McNichols Sports Arena16,011 | 0–1 |- | 2 | April 13 | Denver | W 121–109 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) | Jamaal Wilkes (13) | Norm Nixon (16) | The Forum14,182 | 1–1 |- | 3 | April 16 | @ Denver | W 112–111 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16) | Norm Nixon (12) | McNichols Sports Arena16,181 | 2–1
| 1 | April 17 | @ Seattle | L 101–112 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (11) | Norm Nixon (7) | Kingdome26,377 | 0–1 |- | 2 | April 18 | @ Seattle | L 103–108 (OT) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (15) | Norm Nixon (10) | Kingdome26,862 | 0–2 |- | 3 | April 20 | Seattle | W 118–112 (OT) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (32) | Jamaal Wilkes (9) | Norm Nixon (11) | The Forum17,505 | 1–2 |- | 4 | April 22 | Seattle | L 115–117 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (31) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (13) | Norm Nixon (19) | The Forum17,505 | 1–3 |- | 5 | April 25 | @ Seattle | L 100–106 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (25) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14) | Abdul-Jabbar, Nixon (8) | Seattle Center Coliseum14,098 | 1–4
Awards and records Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, All-NBA Second Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA All-Defensive First Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA All-Star Game
References
External links 1978–79 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats at basketball-reference.com