1998–99 Los Angeles Lakers season

The 1998–99 NBA season was the Lakers' 51st season in the National Basketball Association, and 39th in the city of Los Angeles. On March 23, 1998, the owners of all 29 NBA teams voted 27–2 to reopen the league's collective bargaining agreement, seeking changes to the league's salary cap system, and a ceiling on individual player salaries. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) opposed to the owners' plan, and wanted raises for players who earned the league's minimum salary. After both sides failed to reach an agreement, the owners called for a lockout, which began on July 1, 1998, putting a hold on all team trades, free agent signings and training camp workouts, and cancelling many NBA regular season and preseason games. Due to the lockout, the NBA All-Star Game, which was scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 14, 1999, was also cancelled. However, on January 6, 1999, NBA commissioner David Stern, and NBPA director Billy Hunter finally reached an agreement to end the lockout. The deal was approved by both the players and owners, and was signed on January 20, ending the lockout after 204 days. The regular season began on February 5, and was cut short to just 50 games instead of the regular 82-game schedule.

This season was also the Lakers' final season playing at the Great Western Forum. During the off-season, the team signed free agent Derek Harper, and re-acquired former Lakers center Travis Knight after one season with the Boston Celtics. The Lakers played around .500 with a 6–6 start as head coach Del Harris was fired. After one game under interim Bill Bertka, the team hired former Laker Kurt Rambis as their new coach. The Lakers had signed free agent and rebounding specialist Dennis Rodman, who was well known for winning championships with the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. However, after 23 games, Rodman was released by the team, averaging 11.2 rebounds per game.

At midseason, Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell were both traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for All-Star forward Glen Rice, J.R. Reid and B. J. Armstrong, who was released to free agency and signed with the Orlando Magic. The team also released Corie Blount, as he later on signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Lakers won ten straight games between February and March, and finished second in the Pacific Division with a 31–19 record. Their home-game attendance for the season was 430,007 (12th in the league).

Kobe Bryant averaged 19.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in his first season as a starter, and was selected to the All-NBA Third Team, while Shaquille O'Neal averaged 26.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, made the All-NBA Second Team, and finished in sixth place in Most Valuable Player voting. In addition, Rice played in 27 games due to an elbow injury he sustained in Charlotte, and provided the team with 17.5 points per game, while Rick Fox contributed 9.0 points per game off the bench, Harper provided with 6.9 points and 4.2 assists per game, and Derek Fisher contributed 5.9 points, 3.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

In the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 3–1 in the Western Conference First Round, but were swept in four straight games by the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs during the Western Conference Semi-finals. The Spurs would reach the NBA Finals for the first time to defeat the 8th-seeded New York Knicks in five games, winning their first ever championship.

Following the season, Rambis was fired as head coach, while Reid signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sean Rooks was traded back to his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, rookie forward Ruben Patterson signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, and Harper was dealt to the Detroit Pistons, but was released and then retired.