The 2012–13 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 65th season of the franchise, its 64th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and its 53rd season in Los Angeles. The Lakers acquired All-Stars Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, giving them a starting lineup of five All-Stars consisting of Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Metta World Peace, Nash, and Howard, who were expected to contend for the franchise's 17th NBA championship. Instead, the Lakers struggled to qualify for the playoffs after changing head coaches and implementing multiple offenses. However, a weak defense and multiple injuries were the team's biggest problems. They exited the playoffs in the first round for the first time since 2007. Additionally, this was the first season since 2006-07 without longtime point guard Derek Fisher, who had helped the team win its last five championships. Widely regarded as a failed superteam mainly due to injuries, the Lakers started out the season as a top 2 favorite to win the championship (the other team being the defending champions Miami Heat who ended up repeating) and the Lakers were projected to win 58 games. The Lakers were also the top favorite to win the Western Conference.
The season began with head coach Mike Brown changing the Lakers offensive strategy to the Princeton offense. After an 0–8 preseason record and a 1–4 start to the regular season, Brown was fired. Assistant Bernie Bickerstaff was named the interim coach until Mike D'Antoni took over as the full-time head coach. Still, the Lakers began the season 15–21 for their worst start since the 1993–94 season. They were in jeopardy of missing the playoffs after trailing the Houston Rockets at the All-Star break by games for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. The Lakers started 8–2 after the break, gaining sole possession of a top-8 spot for the first time since December 1, and moving two games over .500 for the first time all season. After being swept by their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers fell a half game behind the Utah Jazz for the final playoff spot. The Lakers again overtook Utah in the standings, but Kobe Bryant's season ended after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the 80th game of the season. The Lakers qualified for the playoffs on the last day of the season, defeating Houston to finish 45–37 and seeded seventh in the West. Facing the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, the injury-riddled Lakers were swept in four games to the eventual Western Conference champion. It was also the second time in three years that the Lakers were swept in the playoffs, having been swept by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 Conference semifinals.
This was the last season that the Lakers made the playoffs until the 2019–20 season when the franchise won its 17th championship. As a result, they would miss the playoffs for six consecutive seasons before 2020, marking their longest playoff drought in franchise history. Prior to 2013, they missed the playoffs for a total of just 5 seasons.
Key dates June 28: The 2012 NBA draft took place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. July 11: The Lakers acquired two-time MVP Steve Nash for first round-picks in 2013 and 2015 and second-round picks in 2013 and 2014. August 10: The Lakers acquired three-time DPOY Dwight Howard, F/C Earl Clark, and PG Chris Duhon in a four-team multi-player trade also involving C Andrew Bynum, F Josh McRoberts, and G/F Christian Eyenga. October 21: Dwight Howard made his Laker debut in a preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings. October 30: The Lakers opened the 2012–13 NBA season, losing to the Dallas Mavericks 91–99. December 28: The Lakers retired the number 52 jersey of Jamaal Wilkes during halftime of their game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers won the game by a score of 104–87. April 2: The Lakers retired the number 34 jersey of Shaquille O'Neal during halftime of their game against the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers won the game by a score of 101–81.
Draft picks
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College/Team 2 55 Darius Johnson-Odom SG Marquette 2 60 Robert Sacre C Gonzaga
Roster
Offseason
After being eliminated from the playoffs in the second round in the prior two seasons, the Lakers traded for three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard and two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Steve Nash. It was the fourth time in league history that a team acquired two players with at least six All-Star selections. Both players were widely considered to be future Hall of Famers. They joined an already strong Lakers nucleus in Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Metta World Peace. The center Howard made the team younger and more athletic; his acquisition appeared to be the start of a new dynasty for the Lakers. In Nash, the Lakers had their first elite point guard in decades. The trio of Bryant, Howard, and Nash was expected to rival the defending league champion Miami Heat's combination of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Additionally, the Lakers re-signed key role player Jordan Hill and signed free agent veteran Antawn Jamison and shooting specialist Jodie Meeks.
Coach Mike Brown began installing the Princeton offense, a decision he made even before the July acquisition of Nash. He thought of using the offense the previous season, but the lockout impacted the schedule, making it too hectic to implement. New assistant coach Eddie Jordan was hired to install the Lakers third offense in three years after the triangle offense during coach Phil Jackson's tenure and Brown's own offense the previous season.
Despite the addition of Howard and Nash, Bryant insisted he remained the leader of the Lakers. Nash agreed that it was Bryant's team, but added the team needed to provide support. Bryant looked forward to Nash running the team's offense. Bryant envisioned that after he retired, Howard would assume the role of team leader. Howard anticipated Bryant being tough on him. "So, I'll take all the heat that he's going to give me because I know at the end of the day that's going to make me a better player and a better person and it's going to make this team better", Howard said. In 2014, Nash said that "everyone could see [the relationship between Bryant and Howard] was going to be tough from the start."
Season summary
Struggles with Princeton offense
Howard had back surgery earlier in April, and the Lakers had acquired him with the possibility that he might be out until December or January. He did not play basketball until training camp in October. The Lakers went a winless 0–8 in the preseason with Howard playing in just two of the games while he was still recovering. Brown estimated it could take until January for the Lakers to fully master the new offense. The Lakers starting lineup at the start of the regular season was both the league's tallest and its oldest with Nash (38 years old), Bryant (34), Gasol and World Peace (32), and Howard (26). The five All-Stars had a combined 33 All-Star appearances, and the team had the league's highest payroll at just over $100 million. The New York Times called them "one of the most talented lineups in NBA history." ESPN wrote that the Lakers were "not only expected to win the title but to do so in record-breaking fashion." Bryant cautioned that they were not "the most athletic team in the world" and could be limited in their rebounding and transition game. Howard was ready for the start of the season, but he was still recovering from his back surgery. In his Laker debut, Howard had 19 points and 10 rebounds, but he was only 3-for-14 on free throws and fouled out; the Lakers lost 99–91.
Bryant said patience was needed as the team adjusted to the Princeton offense. He endorsed the new scheme, comparing it to the triangle offense's ball-sharing principles as well as its difficult learning curve. The Lakers fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 105–95 in a "home" game, and they started the season 0–3 for the first time since 34 years ago in 1978 and just the fourth time in franchise history. Bryant scored 40 points in the loss with two steals, and he passed Magic Johnson (1,724) as the Lakers career leader in steals. Nash did not play after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his left leg in the previous game, and he was expected to miss at least a week. The Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 108–79 for their first win, and avoided their first 0–4 start since 1957. However, after a 1–4 start, Brown was fired as head coach. The team was still adjusting to the new offense and committing a high number of turnovers; the defense, a specialty of Brown's, was also vulnerable. In addition to Nash's and Howard's ailments, Bryant had been playing with an injured foot and was unable to practice. The Lakers, however, had an urgency to win and were not compelled to wait given their aging stars, Howard's pending free agency the coming summer, and owner Jerry Buss' deteriorating health. Brown's dismissal after five games was the third-fastest coaching change in NBA history.
D'Antoni takes over
In the media, former Lakers coach Phil Jackson became the leading candidate to replace Brown. In the meantime, assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff was the interim head coach. He won the first two games he coached, while the crowd at Staples Center chanted "We Want Phil" during the games. The Lakers talked with Jackson first, but he requested two days to consider the opening. He believed the Lakers would wait for his response, but the Lakers thought it was understood they would continue their search. The next day, the team talked with Mike D'Antoni and signed him to a multi-year contract in a unanimous decision by the front office. They felt that D'Antoni's fast-paced style of play made him a "great fit" for the team, more suitable than Jackson's structured triangle offense. Buss' preference had always been for the Lakers to have a wide-open offense. D'Antoni was reunited with Nash, who was a league MVP twice in four seasons under D'Antoni while with the Phoenix Suns. Bryant was also familiar with D'Antoni; Bryant as a child knew him when D'Antoni was a star in Italy and Bryant's father was also playing there. Bryant grew close with D'Antoni during their time with the United States national team.
D'Antoni's coaching debut with the Lakers was delayed as he recovered from knee replacement surgery. He had surgery weeks before on October 31, as he originally expected that he was taking a year off from coaching and would have months to recover. Bickerstaff continued to be the Lakers' interim coach; he finished with a 4–1 record, winning his last two as D'Antoni started leading team practices. Older brother Dan D'Antoni was named a new assistant coach and also assisted. In his first press conference, D'Antoni predicted that the Lakers, then 3–5 and ranked 20th in scoring with 96.5 points per game, should instead be scoring "110–115 points a game". He wanted to revive Showtime. He reiterated general manager Mitch Kupchak's belief that the Lakers were built to win an NBA championship that season. D'Antoni was glad to be back with Nash, noting his unsuccessful stint with the New York Knicks without him. On November 20, he coached his first game—nine days after he was hired—in a 95–90 win against the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers matched their worst start on the road (0–4) since the 1995–96 season, but snapped the streak with a 115–89 win over the Dallas Mavericks; it was also their first 100-point effort in the first four games under D'Antoni.