The Los Angeles Lakers are synonymous with "Showtime," a blend of athletic brilliance and crowd-pleasing charisma which helped transform basketball from just another game to the most popular sport on the planet. Led by Earvin "Magic" Johnson, the greatest team player of all time, the 1980s Lakers formed both a basketball dynasty and a legendary rivalry with Larry Bird's Boston Celtics. This era, which Roland Lazenby refers to as "basketball's Age of Camelot" paved the way for the emergence of basketball's era of superstars, led by the inimitable Michael Jordan.

In their 50-plus year history, the Lakers have qualified for the playoffs more than any other franchise, a remarkable 92 percent of the time. In their first year, however, there was no inkling of their future success. The Los Angeles Lakers had their humble beginnings in the early years of professional basketball as...