The Purple and Gold Lakers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem was out in game six of the finals after injuring his ankle against the Philadelphia 76ers. Magic played all five positions in the game and scored 42 points in the Lakers' four games to two championship win.

Answer: Elgin Baylor

Elgin Baylor gave him the name because of Jerry West's West Virginian background. West and Baylor played together in many Laker seasons, with West playing from 1960-1974. West's wife never liked the nickname because she felt it portrayed Jerry as someone under-educated.

He certainly wasn't on the court, making it to 14 All-Star games. Over Jerry's 14-season career he averaged an amazing 27.0 points per game. He was also nicknamed "Mr. Clutch".

Answer: Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt set an NBA record by scoring 100 points in a game in 1962 and averaged 50 points per game for the rest of the season. Wilt played in six seasons for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1965. Chamberlain played for three full seasons with the 76ers before becoming part of the Lakers squad in 1968. Chamberlain retired in 1973 with a 30.1 points per game average.

Answer: Detroit Gems

Minnesota's own Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen bought the team from bankruptcy in the NBL and moved them to Minneapolis in 1947 to join the BAA for the 1948-49 season. They joined the NBA for the 1949-50 season. The new Minneapolis Lakers won the championship in both those seasons. They would have the help of center George Mikan who would go on to gain Hall of Fame status.

Answer: New York Knicks

Phil played from 1967-1980, with ten seasons in a Knicks uniform. His name came as a coach, taking the Bulls to six NBA Championships, and taking the Lakers to five. The 2009-10 season saw Phil win his 11th championship, taking the Lakers to their fifth with him in charge. Late in his playing career he received the nicknames 'Action Jackson' and 'The Zen Master'.

He was head coach of the Lakers from 1999-2004 and again from 2005 to 2011.

Answer: Kurt Rambis

Rambis began his NBA career in the 1981-82 season, and played nine of 12 seasons as a Laker. Nicknamed 'Rambo', he was originally drafted by the New York Knicks. Darrell Kurt Rambis played in Greece with AEK Athens BC under the name of Kyriakos Rambidis. His team won the Greek Cup in 1981. Kurt signed as a free agent with the Lakers in 1981.

Answer: Jack Kent Cooke

Jack Kent Cooke brought the Lakers to Los Angeles in 1960. The Los Angeles Forum was known as the "House that Jack Built'. Jerry Buss bought the team in 1979, then they won the 1979-80 finals after a drought of eight seasons.

Answer: Byron Scott

Scott played eleven of his 14 seasons with the Lakers after attending Arizona State University. Byron retired in 1997 and began coaching, with his first head coaching position with the New Jersey Nets in 2000. In the 2010-11 season, Byron was unfortunate enough to be at the helm of the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers who were without LeBron James.

Answer: Pat Riley

It was the beginning of the "Showtime" era for the Lakers in 1981 when Pat Riley took over. Riley was a former Laker guard in the 1970s before returning, first as a broadcaster, then as a coach. He took over the Lakers early in the 1981-82 season after Paul Westhead was fired.

The Lakers went on to be NBA Champions in Pat's first season. He left the Lakers in 1990 for the Knicks and later coached the Miami Heat as well. He won championships with all three franchises as a coach, and one while playing for the Lakers as well.

Answer: 15th

Although they won the BAA title in 1949, their first NBA crown came in 1950. They won three consecutive championships from 1952-1954, then two titles in the 1970s, and four more in the 1980s. The Lakers were repeat champions in the 2009-10 season with the 15th crown, and their 30th appearance in the NBA finals.