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How a pro team in Detroit turned into the Los Angeles Lakers

By Stuart London

Feb 8, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; The retired jerseys of Los Angeles Lakers players Jamaal Wilkes (52), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Shaquille O'Neal (34), Jerry West (44), Magic Johnson (32), James Worthy (42), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33), Kobe Bryant (8 and 24) and Chick Hearn and the names of Minneapolis Lakers Hall of Fame players Vern Mikkelsen, George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, John Kundla and Clyde Lovellette on display at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; The retired jerseys of Los Angeles Lakers players Jamaal Wilkes (52), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Shaquille O'Neal (34), Jerry West (44), Magic Johnson (32), James Worthy (42), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33), Kobe Bryant (8 and 24) and Chick Hearn and the names of Minneapolis Lakers Hall of Fame players Vern Mikkelsen, George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, John Kundla and Clyde Lovellette on display at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Legacy of the Detroit Gems

The Gems futility actually gave birth to the Lakers dominance as one of the most successful teams in NBA history.

The top player of the day, center George Mikan, played for the Chicago American Gears. He was so popular (Mikan made an insane $15,000 a year) the Gears owner decided to form his own league. However, the league went belly up after a month.

The NBL held a dispersal draft of the Gears players. Berger and Chaflen argued that since the Gems had the worst record in the league the previous season, they had the right to the first pick in the draft. The NBL agreed, and the Lakers took Mikan.

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Led by Mikan (who is on the NBA’s 75th anniversary team) the Lakers went on to win the NBL, BAA and NBA championships in three consecutive seasons. The Lakers, who moved to Los Angeles in 1961, now had a tradition of championships, and their fans to this day expect them to be championship contenders every season.

As for Boring, he recovered nicely. He put together a traveling basketball team, the Vagabond Kings, where he did not have to worry about filling a home court. The Kings were quite successful into the mid-1950s. Boring became a beloved figure in the Dearborn community and has a park named after him.

According to nbahoopsonline, Boring told his granddaughter he regretted not keeping a minority interest in the franchise when he sold it. According to Forbes, the Lakers are currently worth $5.5 billion.

Like the Gems, the Detroit Falcons of the BAA also were around for just the 1946-47 season. It would be 11 years before Fred Zollner moved the Pistons from Fort Wayne to Detroit, and again gave the Motor City professional basketball.

So, remember, when watching the Lakers play, they began as the idea of two Dearborn businessmen and started in Detroit, in a 1,000 seat gym.

Next. Here’s when I started hating the Los Angeles Lakers. dark

Helpful Sources: https://www.howderfamily.com/blog/king-boring/; https://prohoopshistory.substack.com/p/the-detroit-gems;

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