The1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 48th season for theLos Angeles Lakers in theNational Basketball Association, and their 36th season inLos Angeles, California.^[1] It was also the highlight of retired All-Star guard, and Lakers legendMagic Johnson making a comeback at the age of 36; Johnson had retired from the NBA early into the1991–92 season due to hisHIV infection.^[2][3][4] During the off-season, the team signed free agentsCorie Blount andDerek Strong.^[5][6]

The Lakers got off to a slow start by losing three of their first four games of the regular season, but soon recovered holding a 24–18 record before Johnson's arrival on January 30, 1996, in a 128–118 home victory over theGolden State Warriors at theGreat Western Forum;^[7][8][9] Johnson scored 19 points along with 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes off the bench.^[10] The Lakers won ten of their twelve games in February, which included an 8-game winning streak, and held a 28–19 record at the All-Star break.^[11]

However, in March, after a game against theSeattle SuperSonics, scoring leaderCedric Ceballos missed the team's charter flight to Seattle without explanation, as the Lakers were scheduled to play the SuperSonics again; Ceballos went missing for a few days, but later on returned to the team, and was suspended without pay.^[12][13][14] Their troubles continued asNick Van Exel shoved a referee during a road game against theDenver Nuggets on April 9, and was suspended for the final seven games of the regular season.^[15][16][17] Johnson was also suspended for three games for bumping into a referee during a home game against thePhoenix Suns on April 14.^[18][19][20] The Lakers finished in second place in thePacific Division with a 53–29 record, and earned the fourth seed in theWestern Conference.^[21]

Ceballos averaged 21.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, while Van Exel provided the team with 14.9 points and 6.9 assists per game, and led them with 144 three-point field goals, and Johnson played a sixth man role moving into the power forward position,^[22][23] averaging 14.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game off the bench in 32 games, starting in just nine of them. In addition,Elden Campbell averaged 13.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, whileVlade Divac provided with 12.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and second-year guardEddie Jones contributed 12.8 points and 1.8 steals per game. Off the bench,Anthony Peeler contributed 9.7 points per game and 105 three-point field goals, andSedale Threatt provided with 7.3 points and 3.3 assists per game.^[24]

Johnson finished in fifth place inSixth Man of the Year voting, and tied in twelfth place inMost Valuable Player voting,^[25] while Campbell finished in seventh place inMost Improved Player voting.^[25] Johnson also reached a milestone during the regular season, by passing his 10,000 career assist in a 102–89 road win over theSacramento Kings, at theARCO Arena II on March 7, 1996.^[26][27][28]

In the Western Conference First Round of the1996 NBA playoffs, the Lakers faced off against the 5th-seeded, and 2-time defending NBA championHouston Rockets. Despite having home-court advantage in the series, the Lakers lost to the Rockets in four games.^[29][30][31] The Lakers finished 21st in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 649,634 at the Great Western Forum during the regular season.^[24][32]

Following the season, Johnson decided to retire for the second time and for good, after the Lakers' loss to the Rockets in the opening round of theNBA playoffs.^[33][34][35] Meanwhile, Divac was traded to theCharlotte Hornets,^[36][37][38] Peeler andGeorge Lynch were both dealt to theVancouver Grizzlies,^[39][40][41] Strong signed as a free agent with theOrlando Magic,^[42][43] and Threatt was released to free agency.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	37	Frankie King	Guard	United States	Western Carolina

1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From F 43 Corie Blount 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–01–04 Cincinnati F 41 Elden Campbell 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1968–07–23 Clemson F 23 Cedric Ceballos 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1969–08–02 Cal State Fullerton C 12 Vlade Divac 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 243 lb (110 kg) 1968–02–03 Yugoslavia F 32 Magic Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1959–08–14 Michigan State G 25 Eddie Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1971–10–20 Temple G 4 Frankie King  6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1972–06–06 Western Carolina F 34 George Lynch 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1970–09–03 North Carolina F 2 Anthony Miller  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1971–10–22 Michigan State G 1 Anthony Peeler 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1969–11–25 Missouri C 24 Fred Roberts 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1960–08–14 BYU F 7 Derek Strong 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1968–02–09 Xavier G 3 Sedale Threatt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1961–09–10 West Virginia Tech G 9 Nick Van Exel 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1971–11–27 Cincinnati

Head coach Del Harris Assistant(s) Bill Bertka Michael Cooper Larry Drew Kurt Rambis Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured Roster

In the1995–96 NBA season, Johnson made a short-lived second comeback as a player from January 1996 to May 1996. In this time, he had bulked up from his self-reported weight of 235 lb in 1992,^[44] to 255 lb in order to playpower forward, a much more physical position than his usualpoint guard role. At age 36, Johnson played the last 32 games of the season, averaging 14.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Lakers lost to theHouston Rockets in the first round ofthe playoffs, and Johnson retired for good. Johnson explained his comeback with the words: "I'm going out on my terms, something I couldn't say when I aborted a comeback in 1992."^[45]

Player Statistics Citation:^[24]

This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(July 2010)

Player Salaries Citation:^[46]

This section is empty. You can help byadding to it.(February 2013)

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