The Los Angeles Lakers: The Best Franchise in League HistoryCould the Lakers be the best franchise in league history? Would they be able to live up to the likes of the Boston Celtics, the San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls or the great performances of the Philadelphia 76ers? Or is this statement simply a different opinion from everyone? Numbers never lie, and this will prove that being the best franchise is not a debate based on people's opinions, but on statistics and success. In 1947 Ben Berger and Morris Chaflen in Minnesota purchased the disbanded Detroit Gems. Inspired by Minnesota's nickname "Land of 10,000 Lakes," ("Wikipedia.") they were renamed the Lakers and the dynasty began. In their first season in the National Basketball League they hired John Kundla (“Wikipedia”) as head coach and had the worst record in the league. After just two years of being part of the National Basketball League, the Lakers moved to the Basketball Association of America. ("Wikipedia.") They got off to a great start and won the championship in their first year in the league, ("Wikipedia.") and since the BAA is considered a direct descendant of the National Basketball Association, it is counted as one of their 16 official NBA championships. ("Wikipedia.") Shortly thereafter the NBL and BAA formed into the NBA ("Wikipedia.") and basketball began to become a very popular sport. Bob Short purchased the team in 1958 ("Wikipedia."). After a couple of years of really low participation rates in the small town they called home, Short knew it was time for a change. He noted the success some owners achieved after moving their teams to Los Angeles, such as the Brooklyn Dodgers. ("Wikiped...... half of document......akers Franchise Index. Np, March 8, 2014. Web. March 9, 2014."Wikipedia." History of the Los Angeles Lakers. Np, February 6, 2014 Web . March 9, 2014. "CBS Sports." Web March 9, 2014. "NBA." NBA.com: The 10 Best Teams in NBA History Web. March 9 2014. "Sports List of the Day." Ranking the best NBA teams of all time by win-loss percentage March 9 2014. .