Los Angeles Lakers draft history

The Los Angeles Lakers began their history in the National Basketball League (NBL) during the 1947–48 season under the name of the Minneapolis Lakers but moved to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to the 1948–49 BAA season (the NBL and BAA later merged to form the National Basketball Association). The Lakers moved to Los Angeles for the 1959–60 NBA season, where they have been located ever since. The Minneapolis Lakers took its official name from Minnesota's nickname, Land of 10,000 Lakes.

To help the Lakers acquire local players, territorial picks were instituted from its inception in 1950 until 1965. Territorial picks were used as a type of special draft choice used in the NBA Draft. Prior to the league's draft, a team could forfeit its first-round draft pick and select a player from within 50 mi. Territorial picks were then eliminated when the draft was revamped in 1966. Before the 1989 NBA draft, the draft had more than two rounds. After 1989, the NBA agreed with the National Basketball Players' Association to limit drafts to two rounds. Teams can also trade their picks, so some years a team could have more than or less than two picks.

The Lakers selected Chuck Hanger with their first pick, ninth overall in the 1948 BAA draft. The Lakers got their first overall draft pick in 1958 by choosing Elgin Baylor, who went on to be selected as the only NBA Rookie of the Year to be on the Lakers. The Lakers also drafted Magic Johnson in 1979 with their second first overall pick, who was rated the greatest NBA point guard of all time by ESPN in 2007. The Lakers had no first-round draft picks in 1967, 1976, 1978, 1980, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Lakers had no first or second-round draft picks from 1983, 1987, and 2001. Throughout the years, the Lakers had traded away some of their picks as well as traded for other teams' picks. As a result of the various trades, the Los Angeles Lakers had five first and second-round picks in 1979. In 1996, GM Jerry West orchestrated a draft day trade in which a High School Kobe Bryant was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac. This same year, Jerry West had acquired a FA Shaquille O’Neal in a blockbuster signing.