Lakers 2020 Champs Wish LA Kept Roster Together

Sam Garcia | Aug 7, 2024

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

There have been hundreds of NBA players to represent the Lakers throughout history. But, a set of players from the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship team believes that they were the dream team. In a world unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic and a Lakers’ team unchanged by trades, the franchise may have been able to secure more championship rings in the 2020 decade. 

Former Lakers Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins reflected on the 2020 Lakers team in a podcast episode on Above the Rim with DH 12, a podcast co-hosted by Howard.

Dwight Howard on the 2020 Lakers: “The only thing I’m mad about is they didn’t keep all of us together.”

DeMarcus Cousins: “Our team chemistry was through the roof.”

(via Above The Rim with DH 12, h/t @ClutchPoints)

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In 2020, the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals in a six-game series. Their winning percentage (.732) was the highest it has been since 2008-09 (.817) when the Lakers won back-to-back NBA championships.

Howard earned his first and only NBA championship with the Lakers, averaging 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in the six games of the NBA finals. Cousins tore his ACL in the offseason preceding the championship season, which kept him off the court for the entire season. Despite not playing in a game, the Lakers still presented Cousins with a championship ring. 

Since 2020, the Lakers have reached just one Western Conference Finals appearance.

Out of the 20 players on the Lakers roster in 2020, only two remain on today’s roster. Four-time NBA champion LeBron James has played with Los Angeles for six seasons and has signed a two-year extension that will last until 2026. He has also brought along his rookie son Bronny James to fill the nearly brand-new roster. Nine-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis joined the Lakers one season after James. It has been reported that Davis is expected to remain on the Lakers’ roster even past James’ anticipated retirement.

In addition to replacing nearly every player from the 2020 roster, the Lakers replaced the 2020 head coach, Frank Vogel, who led the team to an NBA championship in his first season. Vogel now coaches for the Phoenix Suns. 

Darvin Ham replaced Vogel but did not last long either. Ham was fired following two unproductive seasons and the Lakers dismissed the entire coaching staff alongside Ham. 

JJ Redick has now taken over as the head coach for the 2024-25 season.