The 1959–60 Minneapolis Lakers season was the 12th season for the franchise in the NBA and final season in Minneapolis.[1] The Lakers finished in third-place in the NBA Western Division with a record of 25–50, 21 games behind the St. Louis Hawks. In their final season in the Twin Cities, the Lakers made the playoffs and defeated the Detroit Pistons two games to none in the Western Division semifinals, before losing the West Finals to the Hawks, four games to three. The Lakers roster had 5 1st overall picks, Elgin Baylor, Hot Rod Hundley, Chuck Share, Ray Felix, and Frank Selvy, the most among any NBA teams in a season.
On January 18, the team had a harrowing flight in a snowstorm, returning to Minneapolis from St. Louis. The team's DC-3 had electrical problems and made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Carroll, Iowa.[2] [3] [4] [5]
On April 27, 1960, The NBA approved the relocation of the Lakers to Southern California and they became the Los Angeles Lakers for the 1960–61 season.
x – clinched playoff spot
| 1959–60 NBA records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| width=100 | Team | BOS | CIN | DET | MIN | NYK | PHI | STL | SYR |
| Boston | — | 8–1 | 9–0 | 8–1 | 12–1 | 8–5 | 6–3 | 8–5 | |
| Cincinnati | 1–8 | — | 5–8 | 5–8 | 2–7 | 0–9 | 4–9 | 2–7 | |
| Detroit | 0–9 | 8–5 | — | 7–6 | 4–5 | 2–7 | 5–8 | 4–5 | |
| Minneapolis | 1–8 | 8–5 | 6–7 | — | 4–5 | 2–7 | 3–10 | 1–8 | |
| New York | 1–12 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 5–4 | — | 4–9 | 3–6 | 2–11 | |
| Philadelphia | 5–8 | 9–0 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 9–4 | — | 4–5 | 8–5 | |
| St. Louis | 3–6 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 10–3 | 6–3 | 5–4 | — | 5–4 | |
| Syracuse | 5–8 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 8–1 | 11–2 | 5–8 | 4–5 | — | |
| Date | Opponent | Score | High points | Record | ||
| 1 | October 18 | 106–105 | Elgin Baylor (52) | 0–1 | ||
| 2 | October 24 | 94–87 | Dick Garmaker (27) | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | October 25 | 102–103 | Elgin Baylor (30) | 1–2 | ||
| 4 | October 31 | 108–117 | Elgin Baylor (30) | 1–3 | ||
| 5 | November 1 | St. Louis | 138–101 | Elgin Baylor (27) | 1–4 | |
| 6 | November 3 | 99–93 | Elgin Baylor (28) | 1–5 | ||
| 7 | November 6 | Detroit | 118–113 (2OT) | Elgin Baylor (33) | 1–6 | |
| 8 | November 7 | @ Detroit | 113–111 (OT) | Elgin Baylor (40) | 2–6 | |
| 9 | November 8 | 115–136 | Elgin Baylor (64) | 3–6 | ||
| 10 | November 10 | @ St. Louis | 105–134 | Elgin Baylor (37) | 3–7 | |
| 11 | November 12 | N Detroit | 93–107 | Elgin Baylor (33) | 3–8 | |
| 12 | November 14 | 98–104 | Elgin Baylor (27) | 3–9 | ||
| 13 | November 15 | N Philadelphia | 100–106 | Dick Garmaker (23) | 4–9 | |
| 14 | November 18 | New York | 106–105 | Elgin Baylor (20) | 4–10 | |
| 15 | November 20 | Detroit | 85–105 | Rudy LaRusso (24) | 5–10 | |
| 16 | November 21 | @ Cincinnati | 99–93 (OT) | Dick Garmaker (26) | 6–10 | |
| 17 | November 25 | Syracuse | 100–93 | Larry Foust (21) | 6–11 | |
| 18 | November 26 | @ Cincinnati | 95–114 | Hot Rod Hundley (24) | 6–12 | |
| 19 | November 28 | @ St. Louis | 91–102 | Rudy LaRusso (18) | 6–13 | |
| 20 | November 29 | N Boston | 109–93 | Hot Rod Hundley (18) | 6–14 | |
| 21 | December 1 | @ New York | 103–100 | Elgin Baylor (20) | 7–14 | |
| 22 | December 3 | @ Philadelphia | 109–123 | Rudy LaRusso (24) | 7–15 | |
| 23 | December 4 | @ Detroit | 101–120 | Elgin Baylor (28) | 7–16 | |
| 24 | December 5 | @ Syracuse | 95–108 | Elgin Baylor (35) | 7–17 | |
| 25 | December 6 | Boston | 121–104 | Elgin Baylor (29) | 7–18 | |
| 26 | December 8 | N Syracuse | 93–89 | Rudy LaRusso (22) | 7–19 | |
| 27 | December 9 | N Syracuse | 86–96 | Elgin Baylor (29) | 8–19 | |
| 28 | December 12 | Cincinnati | 107–97 | Dick Garmaker (29) | 8–20 | |
| 29 | December 19 | @ Cincinnati | 131–113 | Baylor, Leonard (25) | 9–20 | |
| 30 | December 25 | @ St. Louis | 96–112 | Elgin Baylor (23) | 9–21 | |
| 31 | December 26 | @ Detroit | 108–105 | Elgin Baylor (28) | 10–21 | |
| 32 | December 27 | Detroit | 109–119 | Elgin Baylor (28) | 11–21 | |
| 33 | December 28 | @ Boston | 104–107 | Elgin Baylor (29) | 11–22 | |
| 34 | December 30 | @ Philadelphia | 107–122 | Elgin Baylor (22) | 11–23 | |
| 35 | December 31 | @ New York | 102–127 | Elgin Baylor (26) | 11–24 | |
| 36 | January 1 | Syracuse | 109–98 | Tom Hawkins (20) | 11–25 | |
| 37 | January 5 | N Philadelphia | 126–111 | Hot Rod Hundley (24) | 11–26 | |
| 38 | January 9 | Cincinnati | 91–121 | Elgin Baylor (28) | 12–26 | |
| 39 | January 10 | @ Cincinnati | 112–106 | Larry Foust (30) | 13–26 | |
| 40 | January 14 | N New York | 131–126 | Elgin Baylor (26) | 13–27 | |
| 41 | January 15 | @ Cincinnati | 118–122 | Elgin Baylor (43) | 13–28 | |
| 42 | January 16 | N Detroit | 98–105 | Elgin Baylor (29) | 13–29 | |
| 43 | January 17 | @ St. Louis | 119–135 | Elgin Baylor (43) | 13–30 | |
| 44 | January 23 | New York | 115–104 | Elgin Baylor (30) | 13–31 | |
| 45 | January 27 | N Cincinnati | 116–112 | Elgin Baylor (34) | 14–31 | |
| 46 | January 29 | Syracuse | 119–112 | Elgin Baylor (34) | 14–32 | |
| 47 | January 31 | N Philadelphia | 114–104 | Elgin Baylor (21) | 14–33 | |
| 48 | February 1 | N Philadelphia | 103–96 | Elgin Baylor (36) | 14–34 | |
| 49 | February 3 | @ Boston | 108–128 | Elgin Baylor (24) | 14–35 | |
| 50 | February 5 | St. Louis | 114–96 | Elgin Baylor (36) | 14–36 | |
| 51 | February 6 | @ Detroit | 101–116 | Elgin Baylor (34) | 14–37 | |
| 52 | February 7 | Detroit | 102–104 | Elgin Baylor (26) | 15–37 | |
| 53 | February 9 | N Boston | 90–129 | Elgin Baylor (23) | 15–38 | |
| 54 | February 10 | N Syracuse | 110–109 | Elgin Baylor (37) | 15–39 | |
| 55 | February 11 | Cincinnati | 111–108 | Elgin Baylor (32) | 15–40 | |
| 56 | February 13 | @ Detroit | 123–117 (OT) | Elgin Baylor (37) | 16–40 | |
| 57 | February 14 | @ Syracuse | 119–121 | Elgin Baylor (26) | 16–41 | |
| 58 | February 16 | N Boston | 122–130 | Elgin Baylor (40) | 16–42 | |
| 59 | February 17 | N St. Louis | 131–127 | Elgin Baylor (38) | 16–43 | |
| 60 | February 19 | St. Louis | 101–111 | Elgin Baylor (28) | 17–43 | |
| 61 | February 20 | @ Philadelphia | 106–122 | Elgin Baylor (32) | 17–44 | |
| 62 | February 21 | N St. Louis | 98–112 | Elgin Baylor (35) | 18–44 | |
| 63 | February 22 | N St. Louis | 113–103 | Rudy LaRusso (24) | 18–45 | |
| 64 | February 23 | @ New York | 117–112 | Elgin Baylor (41) | 19–45 | |
| 65 | February 24 | N Boston | 110–131 | Rudy LaRusso (27) | 19–46 | |
| 66 | February 25 | N Cincinnati | 105–95 | Elgin Baylor (31) | 20–46 | |
| 67 | February 26 | @ Boston | 111–128 | Elgin Baylor (28) | 20–47 | |
| 68 | February 27 | Philadelphia | 91–109 | Elgin Baylor (23) | 21–47 | |
| 69 | March 1 | @ St. Louis | 101–109 | Elgin Baylor (27) | 21–48 | |
| 70 | March 2 | N New York | 113–123 | Elgin Baylor (48) | 22–48 | |
| 71 | March 3 | N Cincinnati | 117–114 | Elgin Baylor (23) | 23–48 | |
| 72 | March 5 | St. Louis | 107–106 (OT) | Elgin Baylor (35) | 23–49 | |
| 73 | March 6 | Cincinnati | 105–114 | Elgin Baylor (43) | 24–49 | |
| 74 | March 9 | @ Detroit | 116–117 | Elgin Baylor (31) | 24–50 | |
| 75 | March 10 | New York | 108–133 | Elgin Baylor (37) | 25–50 |
|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 1| March 12| @ Detroit| W 113–112| Elgin Baylor (40)| Grosse Pointe High School| 1–0|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 2| March 13| Detroit| W 114–99| Frank Selvy (30)| Minneapolis Armory| 2–0|-|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 1| March 16| @ St. Louis| L 99–112| Elgin Baylor (19)| Baylor, Hundley (9)| Kiel Auditorium
8,377| 0–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 2| March 17| @ St. Louis| W 120–113| Elgin Baylor (40)| Elgin Baylor (14)| Kiel Auditorium
8,614| 1–1|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 3| March 19| St. Louis| L 89–93| Elgin Baylor (27)| —| Minneapolis Armory| 1–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 4| March 20| St. Louis| W 103–101| Elgin Baylor (39)| Elgin Baylor (16)| Minneapolis Armory
6,852| 2–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc"| 5| March 22| @ St. Louis| W 117–110 (OT)| Elgin Baylor (40)| Elgin Baylor (18)| Kiel Auditorium
10,043| 3–2|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 6| March 24| St. Louis| L 96–117| Elgin Baylor (38)| Frank Selvy (12)| Minneapolis Armory| 3–3|- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc"| 7| March 26| @ St. Louis| L 86–97| Elgin Baylor (33)| Elgin Baylor (13)| Kiel Auditorium
6,195| 3–4|-