The Los Angeles Lakers are one the most popular franchises in sports, with a fantastic history. An exciting part of Lakers lore is how the purple and gold were christened the “Lakers.”
The team’s story begins in the Midwest where the franchise started as the Detroit Gems.
However, the franchise struggled in Detroit, so the team was disbanded and sold to Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen.
Berger and Chalfen relocated the team in 1947, to Minneapolis. Berger and Chalfen decided to name their team the “Minneapolis Lakers” because Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes.
The Lakers relocated to Los Angeles in 1961.
