1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season
1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season
The Lakers’ 1995–96 season was the team’s 48th in the NBA. Del Harris coached the team, with Jerry West as general manager and Jerry Buss as owner, and they played at the Great Western Forum. They finished 53–29, good for second place in the Pacific Division and fourth in the Western Conference, but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets.
Magic Johnson made a famous comeback at age 36. After retiring in 1992 because of his HIV diagnosis, he returned to the court in January 1996 and played as a leader off the bench, moving into the power forward role for parts of the season. He appeared in 32 games, averaging about 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game.
In the off-season, the Lakers added Corie Blount and Derek Strong. The team began slowly, losing three of their first four games, but then improved, reaching a 24–18 mark before Johnson returned. February was strong, with the team winning ten of twelve games and an eight-game winning streak, and they stood at 28–19 at the All-Star break.
There were a few notable off-court incidents. In March, Cedric Ceballos missed a flight to Seattle and was suspended for a period. In April, Nick Van Exel shoved a referee and was suspended for seven games, and Johnson was suspended for three games for bumping a referee.
Key players included Cedric Ceballos, who averaged 21.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game; Nick Van Exel with about 14.9 points and 6.9 assists per game, plus the team lead in three-pointers; Elden Campbell with around 13.9 points and 7.6 rebounds; Vlade Divac with about 12.9 points and 8.6 rebounds; Eddie Jones with 12.8 points; Anthony Peeler contributing off the bench with 9.7 points and many three-pointers; Sedale Threatt with 7.3 points and 3.3 assists; and George Lynch with around 3.8 points. Johnson finished fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting and was tied for twelfth in MVP voting, while Campbell finished seventh in Most Improved Player voting.
Johnson reached a milestone during the season, passing 10,000 career assists in a March 7 road win over the Sacramento Kings.
In the playoffs, the Lakers faced the two-time defending champion Houston Rockets in the Western Conference First Round. They lost the series 3–1, with Houston led by Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Robert Horry.
Attendance at home games ranked 21st in the NBA, with 649,634 fans attending at the Forum during the regular season. After the season, Magic Johnson retired for good. Vlade Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, Anthony Peeler and George Lynch were dealt to the Vancouver Grizzlies, Derek Strong signed with the Orlando Magic, and Sedale Threatt was released.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:17 (CET).