On June 30, 1979, the Los Angeles Lakers hired Jack McKinney as their head coach, and he quickly implemented a fast-paced offense that would change the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had more than their fair share of NBA legends, but the man who turned them into the “Lake Show” often doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
In 1979, the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson first overall, and, despite Norm Nixon already being an established point guard, opted to have the two facilitators share the floor and playmaking duties.
Under Johnson, the Lakers would win five titles, with Pat Riley coaching them to four of them. However, the man who invented “Showtime,” Jack McKinney, rarely gets the credit he deserves.
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty ImagesThe Lakers hired Jack McKinney 46 years ago
On July 30, 1979, new owner Jerry Buss hired longtime assistant and college coach Jack McKinney to take over the Lakers. With stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar already in place and Magic seemingly ready to run the show, McKinney quickly implemented a run-and-gun offense never seen before in the professional ranks.
Los Angeles jumped out to a 9-4 start to the season. McKinney had replaced Jerry West that summer, and there were concerns that his unorthodox style wouldn’t translate to wins, but he quickly proved any doubters wrong.
Just 13 games into the season, McKinney was involved in a bicycle accident and was unable to return to the sidelines. The Lakers promoted Paul Westhead to head coach and went on to win the Finals that season, although McKinney got his credit.
“Basically, I’m still building on the same things Jack and I talked about in training camp, which are the running game and playing four strong periods of defense,” Westhead said in 1980 after taking over. “Most of this season, the Lakers have been steady.”
McKinney would only ever coach 13 games in Los Angeles, starting the next season with the Indiana Pacers. While his impact was one training camp and 13 games, he laid the blueprint for one of the best dynasties in all of sports.
McKinney’s style helped win the Lakers five banners
Under Westhead, the Lakers won a title, although he would be fired midway through the 1981-82 season. Pat Riley would take over, and the Lakers would win the Finals right away.
McKinney preached a fast-paced style, which Westhead continued for just one season before implementing his own style, which slowed the game down. Johnson complained, Buss fired him, and Riley took over, returning to the “Showtime” style, which would be perfected in the coming seasons.
Riley readily admits that his initial success came from playing McKinney’s faster offense.
“If he hadn’t had the accident, he might have won five or six titles for the Lakers in the ’80s,” Riley said in 2006.
While Magic, Kareem, and Riley were the faces of the Lakers’ success, first-year head coach Jack McKinney took enough risks in just 13 games for the franchise to build on for the next decade and more.