Lake Show Life
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the 7 greatest coaches since 1980

By Eric Hirsch

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers slaps hands with Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half in Game Three of the first round of the playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 22: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers slaps hands with Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half in Game Three of the first round of the playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 8
Next
Photo by MIKE NELSON / AFP – Los Angeles Lakers
Photo by MIKE NELSON / AFP – Los Angeles Lakers /

Top 7 Los Angeles Lakers head coaches since 1980: 5. Del Harris

Del Harris assumed the anything-but-easy task of guiding the Los Angeles Lakers through the post-Showtime era. After the retirements of Magic Johnson and James Worthy in 1992 and 1994 respectively, the Lakers found themselves in an unfamiliar position: out of the playoffs and in the NBA draft lottery. Harris was brought in to clean up the mess. And cleanup the mess he did.

Behind the strong play of rookie lottery pick, Eddie Jones and second-year point guard, Nick Van Exel, the Lakers went 48-34 and secured a postseason birth. In the playoffs, the 5-seed Lakers dispatched the Seattle Super Sonics three games to one. The youthful Lakers then succumbed to the David Robinson-led Spurs in the Conference Semi-Finals in six games. For his efforts, Harris received the NBA Coach of the Year award. He is the last Lakers head coach to receive the award.

Harris continued to coach the Lakers for three more full seasons, in which the team improved their win total each year (53 in 1996, 56 in 1997, and 61 in 1998). They qualified for the playoffs all three years but failed to advance past the Conference Finals.

Despite an embarrassing sweep in the 1998 Conference Finals at the hands of the Utah Jazz, the new-look Lakers had a bright future with newly acquired stars, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Harris, however, wouldn’t stay around long enough to reap the fruits of the Lakers’ renaissance at the turn of the century. After a slow start out of the gates to the 1999 season, Harris was fired.

While many credit Phil Jackson with helping the Lakers get over the hump in 2000, there’s no question that Harris played a major role in helping the storied franchise regain its prominent position in the league. To take a team from the lottery and lead them to the Conference Finals just four seasons later is a feat worthy of recognition.

BEST SEASON: 

1997-98: 61-21; 3-seed; Lost 4-0 to Utah Jazz in Conference Finals

Home/Lakers All-Time Lists