LOS ANGELES LAKERS

TOP FACTS

The Lakers hold the all-time record for wins (2,970 in 2009), winning percentage (61.7% in 2009), and NBA Finals appearances (30)

The Lakers joined the NBA in 1946, formerly the Minneapolis Lakers from 1946-59.

The Lakers have won 16 NBA championships only one behind the Boston Celtics who have 17

Legendary players include Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West

Former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer with 38,387 points

Andrew Bynum is the youngest player to play in the NBA at 17 years 8 months 2 days

The 1971-72 Lakers are the only team in the NBA to win 33 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in the history of any major American professional sport

Former Laker Magic Johnson is the youngest player and only rookie to be named the Finals MVP at the age of 20 years in the 1980 NBA Finals.

In 1969 former Laker Jerry West was the only player to win the NBA Finals MVP and play for the losing team

Famous Laker fans: David Beckham, Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Denzell Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Rock, Steven Spielberg, Andy Garcia

STAR PLAYERS

Kobe Bryant

Details:
Age: 31
Height: 6ft 6in
Weight: 205lbs
Position: Shooting Guard

Honours:
5-Time NBA Champion
2-Time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (2009, 2010)
1-Time NBA Most Valuable Player (2008)
1-Time Olympic Gold Medal Winner (2008)

DID YOU KNOW?

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game, second-most all-time only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points

Lakers all-time leader in points with 25,331 points

His parents named him after a type of steak (kobe) seen on a restaurant menu prior to his birth

Bryant’s dad Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant was also a professional basketball player who played 606 NBA games

Kobe lists “Star Wars” as his favourite movie

Kobe speaks English, Italian, and Spanish

Pau Gasol

Details:
Age: 30
Height: 7ft
Weight: 250lbs
Position: Power Forward

Honours:
2-Time NBA Champion (2009, 2010)
1-Time NBA Rookie of the Year (2002)
1-Time FIBA World Championship gold medal (2006)
2-Time FIBA Europe Player of the Year (2008, 2009)

DID YOU KNOW?

Pau’s brother Marc plays in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies. Indeed Marc was included in the trade that send Pau from Memphis to Los Angeles

He planned to become a doctor and attended a year of medical school at the University of Barcelona at age 18 until pro basketball changed his plans

Pau started his professional basketball career playing for Barcelona where the Spanish international was spotted

THE COACH

Phil Jackson

Head Coach Phil Jackson holds the record for most championships won by a coach with 11 NBA Championships and has two championships as a player with the New York Knicks

Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007

Jackson won six titles in Chicago in the 1990s, where he coached Michael Jordan, and won five titles as coach of the Lakers between 2000 and 2010

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MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

TOP FACTS

The Timberwolves are one of the younger teams – they were founded in 1989

They received the name "Timberwolves" as the result of a "Name that team" contest. Minnesota is home to the largest population of timberwolves in the lower 48 states (at about 2,921).

Notable Former Players include 2004’s MVP Kevin Garnett, 1994 Slam Dunk Winner Isaiah Rider and 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups

Minnesota played at the first NBA Europe Live London in 2007 when they went up against the Boston Celtics at the O2. They lost that game 91-82

STAR PLAYER

Kevin Love

Details:
Age: 21
Height: 6ft 10in
Weight: 260lbs
Position: Power Forward

Honours:
Selected to 2009 NBA All- Rookie Second Team

DID YOU KNOW?

Kevin Love was the 5th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft

Kevin Love’s father Stan Love was a professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers while Kevin’s uncle Mike Love was a founding member of the Beach Boys

Kevin followed in his father’s footsteps and is now playing in his second NBA season

He was initially drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies but was traded to Minnesota in exchange for shooting guard OJ Mayo

THE COACH

Kurt Rambis

Known for his thick-rimmed glasses and moustache during his playing days as a Laker, Rambis began coaching the Timberwolves at the beginning of the season

It is the 52-year-old’s first permanent head coaching job after more than a decade as an assistant on the Lakers bench