For the first time since they won the NBA Championship in 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers will not have to fight their way through the NBA Play-In Tournament to get into the playoffs.

At the start of the season, few could’ve confidently predicted this moment for the Los Angeles Lakers. Yet here they are—having clinched the No. 3 seed in the

When the UConn coach turned down a $70-million job offer to come to L.A., it might have been humiliating for the storied franchise but it ignited a rebirth.