5 lesser known facts about the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have a big fan base all across the globe. The reason for this has been their on-court performance with 16 NBA championships and acquirement of players who later became Hall of Famers. Some of the greats to have played for Lakers are- Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

There are certain facts about this great franchise, which most fans are not aware of, here are five of them:

#5- Origin of the name 'Lakers'

Lakers Logo

Lakers was initially based in Minneapolis before making a switch to Los Angeles in 1960. The word 'Lakers' for the franchise was coined from Minnesota's nickname "Land of 10,000 lakes". Once the franchise changed cities, the ownership decided against changing the name and word Lakers stuck with the team.

#4 Youngest coach in the NBA- Luke Walton

Luke Walton(R) is now the head coach of the Lakers

Luke Walton is currently the youngest coach in the NBA. Having played 10 seasons as a forward and winning two championships with the Lakers during his playing career, Walton returned to his old team as the head coach to train the next generation of the Lakers and bring back some much-needed glory to the franchise.

Walton had one championship as an assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2015. In the absence of Steve Kerr for the first 43 games of the next season, he coached the Warriors in the 2015-16 season to a 39-4 record.

#3 The Forum

The Forum

Before moving to the Staples Centre in 1999, the Lakers played at 'The Forum'. The Forum was also called "the modern version of the greater Colosseum of ancient Rome" due to the resemblance in structural design.

It also played host to the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the other Los Angeles NBA team - the Clippers. Outside of these leagues, the Forum also hosted basketball as part of the 1984 Olympics that were hosted by the city.

It is currently owned by The Madison Square Garden Company, owners of the MSG in New York. In 2014, the arena was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

#2 Chick Hearn

Chick Hearn - A legend of the Lakers

There are a few people who stick around a team through their thick and thin, provide them motivational support. Chick Hearn was one of them. Called the 'voice of the Lakers', Chick served them as the play-by-play broadcaster for close to four decades.

He is synonymous with the prestige and fame that comes with the Lakers franchise. He has broadcast 3,338 consecutive Lakers' games since November 21st, 1965. Not only does he have a jersey with a mike and name hanging in the rafters next to the great players in Staples Center but he also has a statue outside the arena.

He passed away on August 5, 2002.

#1 Celebrity Fans

Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio at The Lakers Game

The Lakers have a huge fan base around the world and also among some famous celebrities in the world. This includes Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Andy Garcia, David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Justin Beiber, Tom Hanks and others.

The proximity to Hollywood can be a reason for the huge fan base or it could be the charm of Black Mamba that attracted them to the team. The success and championships the franchise has won over decades is also a significant reason why a majority of Tinseltown stars support the team.