The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most prestigious and winningest franchises in all of professional basketball.  Since being founded in 1960, the Lakers have had numerous great teams, but the 1971-1972 may have been the most dominant.

On this day, January 7th, in 1972, the Lakers won their 33rd consecutive game, which was not only a NBA record, but a record for all professional sports. The team was under the leadership of coach Bill Sharmon and led by NBA greats Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.  The streak began in November with 14 games and was followed by 16 straight wins in December.  The streak finally came to an end on January 9, against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Lakers won the NBA championship and a total of 69 regular season games in the 1971-72 season, which was a record that stood for more than two decades.  While the 1971-72 team is still considered one of the greatest teams in NBA history, the Lakers success would only continue with the emergence of the “Showtime” era that lasted well into the 1980s.