The 1987–88 season saw the Lakers win their eleventh NBA championship, defeating the Detroit Pistons in a hard-fought seven games in the NBA Finals to become the NBA's first repeat champions since the Boston Celtics did it in the 1968–69 NBA season. In doing so, the Lakers made good on Pat Riley's famous promise to repeat as champions. "I'm guaranteeing everybody here," Riley said at the civic celebrations following the Lakers’ 1987 championship win, "next year we’re gonna win it again." Before the Lakers could make good on Riley's guarantee, they swept the San Antonio Spurs in the opening round of the playoffs. The following two rounds however would not be as easy for the Lakers, but they still managed to get through a tough seven-game series against both the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semis and the Dallas Mavericks Western Conference Finals. By the time the Lakers had finished their season they had played an NBA record 106 games including another record 24 playoff games, winning 77 and losing 29. The Lakers went 62–20 in the regular season and 15–9 in the playoffs, en route to their sixth NBA Championship in Los Angeles, and their 11th overall in franchise history. HoopsHype would later rank this squad as the team with the 13th easiest route to the NBA Finals championship (in terms of team records of their opponents), primarily due to the record that the Spurs had this season. The 1988 Finals was the last time the Showtime-era Lakers won an NBA championship. It was also the final time that the franchise won a championship at The Forum. They did not win another league title until 2000, when they were playing at the Staples Center (now known as the Crypto.com Arena). Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were all selected to play in the 1988 NBA All-Star Game held in Chicago. Pat Riley was chosen to coach the Western Conference All-Stars.

Draft picks

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || Houston 17,505 5:30 pm PST || @ San Antonio 13,751 7:30 pm PST || L.A. Clippers 15,569 7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State 15,025 7:30 pm PST || San Antonio 17,505 7:30p.m. PST Rambis (10) 16,347 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 14,634 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento 10,333 7:30 pm PST || Portland 17,505 5:00p.m. PST 11,052 4:30p.m. PST Johnson, Scott (19) Johnson (9) 20,015 4:30 pm PST || @ New Jersey 18,008 4:30p.m. PST 18,643 5:00p.m. PST Johnson (8) 14,890 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || Phoenix 17,371 7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State 15,025 7:30 pm PST || @ L.A. Clippers 14,417 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || Sacramento 17,505 1:00p.m. PST 12,212 7:30 pm PST || Philadelphia 17,505 5:00 pm PST || @ Portland 12,666 7:30 pm PST || San Antonio 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 5:00p.m. PST 40,278 4:30 pm PST || @ Indiana 16,912 7:30 pm PST || Golden State 17,505 7:30 pm PST || @ L.A. Clippers 14,906 6:30 pm PST || @ Phoenix 14,471 2:00 pm PST || Houston 17,505 6:30p.m. PST Johnson (10) 17,022 7:30 pm PST || New York 17,505 12:30p.m. PST 14,739 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento 10,333 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 15,371 7:30 pm PST || Indiana 17,505 6:30p.m. PST 17,022 5:30 pm PST || @ San Antonio 15,770 12:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || L.A. Clippers 17,505 5:30 pm PST || @ Houston 16,611 5:00p.m. PST 16,451 12:30p.m. PST M. Thompson (8) 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || Phoenix 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 14,850 7:30 pm PST || Golden State 17,505 11:00a.m. PST 17,007 4:30 pm PST || @ Philadelphia 18,168 5:00 pm PST || @ New York 19,591 5:30p.m. PST M. Thompson (12) 18,676 8:00p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || New Jersey 17,505 7:30 pm PST || @ Portland 12,666 6:30 pm PST || @ Phoenix 14,471 7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State 15,025 7:30 pm PST || Houston 17,505 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento 10,333 7:30p.m. PST 17,505 6:30p.m. PST 12,444 7:30 pm PDT || Sacramento 17,505 7:30p.m. PDT 17,505 7:30 pm PDT || L.A. Clippers 17,505 7:30 pm PDT || @ Portland 12,666 7:30 pm PDT || Portland 17,505 6:30p.m. PDT 17,022 7:30 pm PDT || Phoenix 17,505 10:00 am PDT || @ Houston 16,611 5:30 pm PDT || @ San Antonio 12,456 5:30p.m. PDT 17,007 7:30 pm PDT || @ Phoenix 14,077 12:30 pm PDT || Golden State 17,505

Playoffs

7:30 pm PDT || San Antonio 17,505 7:30 pm PDT || San Antonio 17,505 5:30 pm PDT || @ San Antonio 11,542 12:30p.m. PDT 17,505 8:00p.m. PDT 17,505 8:00p.m. PDT 12,444 12:30p.m. PDT 12,444 7:30p.m. PDT 17,505 7:30p.m. PDT 12,444 12:30p.m. PDT 17,505 7:30p.m. PDT Johnson, M Thompson (6) 17,505 7:30p.m. PDT 17,505 5:00p.m. PDT 17,007 12:30p.m. PDT 17,007 8:30p.m. PDT 17,505 6:00p.m. PDT Worthy (27) 17,007 12:30p.m. PDT 17,505 6:00p.m. PDT 17,505 6:00p.m. PDT 17,505 12:30pm PDT 39,188 6:00p.m. PDT 34,297 6:00p.m. PDT Green, Johnson (6) 41,372 12:30p.m. PDT 17,505 6:00p.m. PDT 17,505

Player statistics

Season

Playoffs

Awards and records

Awards

All-Star

Transactions

Trades

Free Agents

Additions

Subtractions