How Do You Move Lakers?
Apparently, it's fairly easy, especially when they're as fleet of foot and handy with a basketball as the Minneapolis Lakers were. Because that little known first year team of the 1947-48 season, would one day become the Los Angeles Lakers.
At that time, there was only one game, or rather, league in town - the National Basketball League. Maurice White, who was president of the American Gear Company, had the inspiration to create his own league, and pulled his Chicago American Gears out of the NBL, and started the Professional Basketball League of America. Among his more grandiose schemes was the creation of 24 team rosters in which he would own all the teams, and their arenas. But his league folded after only a month, and suddenly there were a lot of players available.
Purely by luck, the fledgling Minneapolis Lakers landed George Mikan, a 6'10" giant who had literally been the mainstay of the Chicago team. Buoyed by some key players, Minneapolis won the League championship in their first season.
But more moves were in store. The next season, the Minneapolis Lakers moved to the Basketball Association of America, which merged with the NBL in 1950, creating the NBA we know today. The team itself would uproot and move to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 season, in search of a larger fan base.