Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 8th, 1976
Tony Dorsett
📸James Drake
✍️Myron Cope
This was Dorsett’s first Sports Illustrated cover appearance. At the time, the junior/senior Panther was in the midst of a historic season: he was on track to win the Heisman Trophy (which areer rushing record (breaking Archie Griffin’s mark), and help lead undefeated Pitt to the 1976 national championship.
Tony Dorsett
📸James Drake
✍️Myron Cope
This was Dorsett’s first Sports Illustrated cover appearance. At the time, the junior/senior Panther was in the midst of a historic season: he was on track to win the Heisman Trophy (which areer rushing record (breaking Archie Griffin’s mark), and help lead undefeated Pitt to the 1976 national championship.
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This issue captured Dorsett at the peak of a season that made him one of college football’s all-time greats. He rushed for 1,948 yards in the regular season, leading the nation, and finished with 6,082 career rushing yards, an NCAA record that stood for 22 years until Ricky Williams broke it.
He became the first major-college back to have four 1,000-yard seasons, won the 1976 Heisman Trophy in a landslide with 701 first-place votes (far ahead of USC’s Ricky Bell), and led Pitt to an undefeated 12-0 season and the consensus national championship, capped by a 27-3 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
It was Pitt’s first national title since 1937 and remains their only one in the modern era. Dorsett later became the first player to win the Heisman, a college national title, a Super Bowl (with the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie), and induction into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The cover essentially anointed him as the Heisman favorite weeks before the voting, while the season was still unfolding. It also tied together three Pittsburgh-connected figures: Dorsett (the player), Drake (the photographer), and Cope (the writer).
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He became the first major-college back to have four 1,000-yard seasons, won the 1976 Heisman Trophy in a landslide with 701 first-place votes (far ahead of USC’s Ricky Bell), and led Pitt to an undefeated 12-0 season and the consensus national championship, capped by a 27-3 Sugar Bowl win over Georgia.
It was Pitt’s first national title since 1937 and remains their only one in the modern era. Dorsett later became the first player to win the Heisman, a college national title, a Super Bowl (with the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie), and induction into both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
The cover essentially anointed him as the Heisman favorite weeks before the voting, while the season was still unfolding. It also tied together three Pittsburgh-connected figures: Dorsett (the player), Drake (the photographer), and Cope (the writer).
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 7th, 1988
Karl Malone
📸John W. McDonough
✍️Ralph Wiley
At the time, Malone was establishing himself as one of the league’s top power forwards after strong seasons including All-NBA Second Team honors the prior year. The Jazz were building ound him and later more fully with John Stockton.
Karl Malone
📸John W. McDonough
✍️Ralph Wiley
At the time, Malone was establishing himself as one of the league’s top power forwards after strong seasons including All-NBA Second Team honors the prior year. The Jazz were building ound him and later more fully with John Stockton.
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By the 1987-88 season Malone had already become a dominant force (All-NBA Second Team, ~27.7 points and 12 rebounds per game). The cover treated him as one of the faces of the new NBA season, emphasizing his rare combination of size, strength, athleticism, and work ethic that would define the rest of his career. He was still only in his early-to-mid 20s and was on the verge of becoming a perennial All-Star and eventual two-time MVP.
It highlighted the Utah Jazz as a competitive, physical team built around Malone (and the developing John Stockton–Malone pairing). This was a key step in elevating both player and franchise from solid playoff contenders to consistent contenders.
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It highlighted the Utah Jazz as a competitive, physical team built around Malone (and the developing John Stockton–Malone pairing). This was a key step in elevating both player and franchise from solid playoff contenders to consistent contenders.
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Karl Malone (31p/12r) & John Stockton (21p/8a) make their #NBAXmas debuts in 1988! #NBABreakdown
📺: #RipCity x #TeamIsEverything
⏰: 10:30pm/et 📺: ESPN
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 7th, 2005
Tom Brady & Peyton Manning
📸Bob Rosato
This issue hit newsstands just before the November 7, 2005, Colts-Patriots game at Gillette Stadium. The Colts entered at 7-0 (later improving to 8-0), while the Patriots were 4-3/4-4. The coveady-Manning rivalry. In the actual game that night, the Colts won 40-21; Manning went 28-of-37 for 321 yards and 3 TDs (finally winning in Foxborough after prior losses), while Brady threw for 265 yards and 3 TDs.
Tom Brady & Peyton Manning
📸Bob Rosato
This issue hit newsstands just before the November 7, 2005, Colts-Patriots game at Gillette Stadium. The Colts entered at 7-0 (later improving to 8-0), while the Patriots were 4-3/4-4. The coveady-Manning rivalry. In the actual game that night, the Colts won 40-21; Manning went 28-of-37 for 321 yards and 3 TDs (finally winning in Foxborough after prior losses), while Brady threw for 265 yards and 3 TDs.
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Colts (7-0) at Patriots (4-3) on Nov. 7, 2005, at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots were the two-time defending Super Bowl champions; the Colts were the NFL’s only undefeated team and a rising power.
Tom Brady led the series 6-0 (including playoff wins). Peyton Manning was 0-7 in Foxboro. The cover treated their matchup like a Western-style duel for AFC supremacy.
Colts won 40-21. Manning went 28-of-37 for 321 yards and 3 TDs (with help from Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne). It was his first win in the series and in Foxboro—a clear turning point. The Colts finished 14-2; the rivalry continued through 2015 and is widely ranked among the greatest individual rivalries in NFL history (often compared to Magic-Bird or Ali-Frazier).
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Tom Brady led the series 6-0 (including playoff wins). Peyton Manning was 0-7 in Foxboro. The cover treated their matchup like a Western-style duel for AFC supremacy.
Colts won 40-21. Manning went 28-of-37 for 321 yards and 3 TDs (with help from Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne). It was his first win in the series and in Foxboro—a clear turning point. The Colts finished 14-2; the rivalry continued through 2015 and is widely ranked among the greatest individual rivalries in NFL history (often compared to Magic-Bird or Ali-Frazier).
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Flashback Friday: Reggie Wayne’s sick TD before the half followed by a Edgerrin James TD to put the #Colts up big in
NE.
Final Score: Colts 40 Patriots 21 (2005)
Marvin Harrison: 9 rec 128 yds 2 TDs
Manning was 0–6 vs Brady before this. It’s when the rivalry flipped. 🔥 🔥
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 7th, 1994
Horace Grant & Charles Barkley
📸Walter Iooss Jr.
This was the preview for the 1994-95 NBA season. The Houston Rockets were the defending champions. The Orlando Magic had just added three-time champion Horace Grant to a young core featand Penny Hardaway, positioning them as rising contenders. The Phoenix Suns, led by 1993 MVP Barkley, remained title hopefuls after reaching the 1993 Finals. The cover playfully framed a potential matchup between Grant’s new team and Barkley’s Suns.
Horace Grant & Charles Barkley
📸Walter Iooss Jr.
This was the preview for the 1994-95 NBA season. The Houston Rockets were the defending champions. The Orlando Magic had just added three-time champion Horace Grant to a young core featand Penny Hardaway, positioning them as rising contenders. The Phoenix Suns, led by 1993 MVP Barkley, remained title hopefuls after reaching the 1993 Finals. The cover playfully framed a potential matchup between Grant’s new team and Barkley’s Suns.
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Michael Jordan had retired in 1993. The NBA was in a transitional phase after the Bulls’ three-peat, and preseason coverage focused on who would fill the void.
The young Magic (Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, and newly signed free agent Horace Grant from the Bulls) were projected as Eastern Conference favorites and potential Finals contenders. Grant was seen as the missing piece—the veteran defensive anchor and championship experience that would elevate a talented but still-maturing roster.
Barkley and the Suns were widely viewed as the top team in the West and overall title favorites by many, including oddsmakers (Suns at +350 to win the title; Magic at +450).
The Houston Rockets ultimately won the title, so neither cover team made the Finals matchup the article foreshadowed. Still, the piece accurately captured the league’s new power structure and the Magic’s emergence as a legitimate contender after years of lottery luck and building.
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The young Magic (Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, and newly signed free agent Horace Grant from the Bulls) were projected as Eastern Conference favorites and potential Finals contenders. Grant was seen as the missing piece—the veteran defensive anchor and championship experience that would elevate a talented but still-maturing roster.
Barkley and the Suns were widely viewed as the top team in the West and overall title favorites by many, including oddsmakers (Suns at +350 to win the title; Magic at +450).
The Houston Rockets ultimately won the title, so neither cover team made the Finals matchup the article foreshadowed. Still, the piece accurately captured the league’s new power structure and the Magic’s emergence as a legitimate contender after years of lottery luck and building.
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NBA on NBC promo (1995)
Magic vs Suns
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 5th, 2012
J.J. Watt
📸John W. McDonough
✍️Austin Murphy
This came during Watt’s breakout second NFL season (he finished with 20.5 sacks, 16 pass deflections, and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year). He was the league’s sack leader at the shocked and called it surreal—he remembered doing those Disney World photos where you put your face on an SI cover as a kid.
J.J. Watt
📸John W. McDonough
✍️Austin Murphy
This came during Watt’s breakout second NFL season (he finished with 20.5 sacks, 16 pass deflections, and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year). He was the league’s sack leader at the shocked and called it surreal—he remembered doing those Disney World photos where you put your face on an SI cover as a kid.
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At midseason 2012, Watt was the NFL sack leader and producing an unusually high number of passes defensed for a defensive lineman. Putting him on the cover (over the Giants’ World Series win, which only got a banner) signaled that the broader sports media recognized him as the league’s dominant defensive force.
He went on to finish with 20.5 sacks, 16 pass deflections, and the Defensive Player of the Year award—widely regarded as one of the best individual defensive seasons in modern NFL history.
Watt has repeatedly called the cover surreal. As a kid he did the Disney World photo-ops where your face is superimposed on an SI cover; seeing the real thing was a childhood dream come true.
He was genuinely shocked when it appeared and checked multiple sources to confirm it was real. He also publicly dismissed the “SI cover jinx,” saying hard work overrides superstition.
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He went on to finish with 20.5 sacks, 16 pass deflections, and the Defensive Player of the Year award—widely regarded as one of the best individual defensive seasons in modern NFL history.
Watt has repeatedly called the cover surreal. As a kid he did the Disney World photo-ops where your face is superimposed on an SI cover; seeing the real thing was a childhood dream come true.
He was genuinely shocked when it appeared and checked multiple sources to confirm it was real. He also publicly dismissed the “SI cover jinx,” saying hard work overrides superstition.
x.com/KalshiFB/statu…
That time DE J.J. Watt had FIVE touchdowns in a season back in 2014. Offensive Weapon 🔥
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 4th, 1991
Minnesota Twins
📸V.J. Lovero
✍️Steve Rushin
The cover shows the Twins in a celebratory pileup huddle on the field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome after winning Game 7 on October 27, 1991. The photo is by V.J. Lovero. Large te “TWINS” lettering runs down the right side
“A Series to Savor” by Steve Rushin is the cover story on the 1991 World Series between the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves.
Minnesota Twins
📸V.J. Lovero
✍️Steve Rushin
The cover shows the Twins in a celebratory pileup huddle on the field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome after winning Game 7 on October 27, 1991. The photo is by V.J. Lovero. Large te “TWINS” lettering runs down the right side
“A Series to Savor” by Steve Rushin is the cover story on the 1991 World Series between the Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves.
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Rushin frames the Series as one of the most dramatically charged Fall Classics ever played. He notes that both teams “enlarged the game of baseball” while reducing individual players to participants in a contest whose drama was almost too large to exaggerate. The piece highlights the Series’ remarkable statistics: five one-run games, four decided on the final play, and three that went to extra innings.
The narrative centers on the climactic Game 7 at the Metrodome, in which 36-year-old Jack Morris pitched 10 shutout innings and the Twins won 1-0 on Gene Larkin’s walk-off single. Rushin describes the emotional aftermath in the winners’ clubhouse—grown men in tears, and even physical reactions such as Twins pitcher Kevin Tapani breaking out in a rash—and contrasts it with the stunned but respectful reaction of the Braves.
He also devotes attention to Kirby Puckett’s extraordinary Game 6 performance (including his 11th-inning walk-off home run off Charlie Leibrandt that forced Game 7) and to key defensive and baserunning plays involving players such as Kent Hrbek, Brian Harper, and Mark Lemke.
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The narrative centers on the climactic Game 7 at the Metrodome, in which 36-year-old Jack Morris pitched 10 shutout innings and the Twins won 1-0 on Gene Larkin’s walk-off single. Rushin describes the emotional aftermath in the winners’ clubhouse—grown men in tears, and even physical reactions such as Twins pitcher Kevin Tapani breaking out in a rash—and contrasts it with the stunned but respectful reaction of the Braves.
He also devotes attention to Kirby Puckett’s extraordinary Game 6 performance (including his 11th-inning walk-off home run off Charlie Leibrandt that forced Game 7) and to key defensive and baserunning plays involving players such as Kent Hrbek, Brian Harper, and Mark Lemke.
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Vin Scully’s final call in the 1991 World Series…
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 4th, 1996
Joe Girardi & John Wetteland
📸John Iacono
✍️Tom Verducci
The Yankees had not won a World Series since 1978. This cover celebrates their 23rd championship and the end of a long dry spell that included the lean 1980s and early 1990s.
Joe Girardi & John Wetteland
📸John Iacono
✍️Tom Verducci
The Yankees had not won a World Series since 1978. This cover celebrates their 23rd championship and the end of a long dry spell that included the lean 1980s and early 1990s.
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The 1996 title was the first of four in five years (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000). Players and executives later described it as the breakthrough that launched the Core Four era (Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte) and Joe Torre’s successful run as manager. Derek Jeter has called it “the first… the beginning.”
The Yankees trailed the favored Atlanta Braves 0-2, then won four straight games. They beat three Cy Young winners in the process and staged a historic comeback. Tom Verducci’s cover story, “Stroke of Fate,” framed the win as almost predestined, highlighting comeback stories on the roster and key moments (including Jim Leyritz’s Game 4 home run and the Game 6 clincher).
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The Yankees trailed the favored Atlanta Braves 0-2, then won four straight games. They beat three Cy Young winners in the process and staged a historic comeback. Tom Verducci’s cover story, “Stroke of Fate,” framed the win as almost predestined, highlighting comeback stories on the roster and key moments (including Jim Leyritz’s Game 4 home run and the Game 6 clincher).
x.com/BSmile/status/…
30 Years Ago Today: The New York #Yankees win the World Series, defeating the Atlanta #Braves in six games! (October 26, 1996)
#MLB #Baseball #RepBX #Postseason #WorldSeries
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 3rd, 1975
Johnny Bench & Will Mcenaney
📸John Iacono
✍️Ron Fimrite
Cover captures Johnny Bench and Will McEnaney celebrating the Cincinnati Reds’ victory in the 1975 World Series over the Boston Red Sox. Its significance stems from the serithe most iconic and consequential in baseball history.
Johnny Bench & Will Mcenaney
📸John Iacono
✍️Ron Fimrite
Cover captures Johnny Bench and Will McEnaney celebrating the Cincinnati Reds’ victory in the 1975 World Series over the Boston Red Sox. Its significance stems from the serithe most iconic and consequential in baseball history.
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ESPN has ranked it among the top World Series of all time. It featured sustained drama across seven games, including multiple comebacks, memorable individual moments, and high tension. Game 6 at Fenway Park is frequently called one of the greatest games ever played: Bernie Carbo’s pinch-hit home run, Dwight Evans’ spectacular catch, and Carlton Fisk’s iconic 12th-inning walk-off home run off the foul pole. The Reds then won Game 7, 4–3, on Joe Morgan’s ninth-inning single.
The Reds (managed by Sparky Anderson) were a powerhouse with stars like Pete Rose (Series MVP), Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster, Dave Concepcion, Ken Griffey, and Cesar Geronimo. They had come close before (losing the Series in 1970 and 1972) but finally broke through for their first title since 1940. They repeated in 1976, becoming the last National League team to win back-to-back World Series. The cover celebrates the end of a 35-year drought and one of baseball’s greatest teams.
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The Reds (managed by Sparky Anderson) were a powerhouse with stars like Pete Rose (Series MVP), Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster, Dave Concepcion, Ken Griffey, and Cesar Geronimo. They had come close before (losing the Series in 1970 and 1972) but finally broke through for their first title since 1940. They repeated in 1976, becoming the last National League team to win back-to-back World Series. The cover celebrates the end of a 35-year drought and one of baseball’s greatest teams.
x.com/KevG163/status…
50 Years Ago Tonight
October 21, 1975
Carlton Fisk's walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series
The #RedSox catcher bangs one off the pole in left in the bottom of the 12th inning to force a Game 7 against the Reds.
The iso shot of Fisk waving it fair — taken from een Monster scoreboard — is one of television sports' most iconic images.
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 2nd, 2009
Reggie Bush
📸Bob Rosato
✍️Tim Layden
This cover captures a defining snapshot of the New Orleans Saints’ historic 2009 season—the greatest in franchise history—and immortalizes one of Reggie Bush’s signature plays.
Photographed Bush diving into the end zone on a double-reverse touchdown against the Miami Dolphins on October 25, 2009. Trailing 24–3, the Saints rallied for a 46–34 victory to improve to 6–0. Fans later nicknamed the play the “Fleur-de-Leap.”
Reggie Bush
📸Bob Rosato
✍️Tim Layden
This cover captures a defining snapshot of the New Orleans Saints’ historic 2009 season—the greatest in franchise history—and immortalizes one of Reggie Bush’s signature plays.
Photographed Bush diving into the end zone on a double-reverse touchdown against the Miami Dolphins on October 25, 2009. Trailing 24–3, the Saints rallied for a 46–34 victory to improve to 6–0. Fans later nicknamed the play the “Fleur-de-Leap.”
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After decades as a long-suffering team (including the “Aints” era) and the post-Katrina rebuild, the cover marked national recognition of the Saints under Sean Payton and Drew Brees as a rising power. The team’s style—explosive offense, opportunistic defense, and big comebacks—defined that year.
Bush, the No. 2 overall pick in 2006 out of USC, was often scrutinized for not becoming a traditional workhorse back. The cover showcased his unique athleticism and value as a change-of-pace weapon, receiver, and returner in Payton’s offense. He contributed meaningfully that season (including as the primary punt returner) on the way to the Super Bowl.
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Bush, the No. 2 overall pick in 2006 out of USC, was often scrutinized for not becoming a traditional workhorse back. The cover showcased his unique athleticism and value as a change-of-pace weapon, receiver, and returner in Payton’s offense. He contributed meaningfully that season (including as the primary punt returner) on the way to the Super Bowl.
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🔙 | Ainda dá tempo de um TBT?!
Em 2009, o #Saints conseguiu uma das maiores viradas da sua história contra o Dolphins, e teve como símbolo esse touchdown espetacular do RB Reggie Bush.
No final, NO venceu por 46 a 34.
📹: @thecheckdown
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Sports Illustrated Magazine- November 1st, 1999
Phil Jackson
📸Walter Iooss Jr.
✍️Frank Deford
This was Phil Jackson’s first year as head coach and the beginning of the Lakers’ early-2000s dynasty. The team finished with the NBA’s best record at 67–15, won the Pacific Division, se’s first championship since 1988.
Phil Jackson
📸Walter Iooss Jr.
✍️Frank Deford
This was Phil Jackson’s first year as head coach and the beginning of the Lakers’ early-2000s dynasty. The team finished with the NBA’s best record at 67–15, won the Pacific Division, se’s first championship since 1988.
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This cover captured a pivotal transition in NBA history. Jackson had just been hired as Lakers coach after winning six titles with the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.
He was taking over a talented but immature and often dysfunctional Lakers roster built around Shaq and a young Kobe, who had not yet fully meshed.
The “Zen Master” imagery and crystal-ball concept played on Jackson’s reputation for mindfulness, the triangle offense (brought over from Chicago with assistant Tex Winter), and his ability to manage big personalities.
It marked the beginning of the Lakers’ early-2000s dynasty. In his first season (1999-00), the team went 67-15, moved into the new Staples Center, and won the championship—the franchise’s first since 1988. Jackson then led them to three straight titles (2000–2002) and five total with the Lakers.
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He was taking over a talented but immature and often dysfunctional Lakers roster built around Shaq and a young Kobe, who had not yet fully meshed.
The “Zen Master” imagery and crystal-ball concept played on Jackson’s reputation for mindfulness, the triangle offense (brought over from Chicago with assistant Tex Winter), and his ability to manage big personalities.
It marked the beginning of the Lakers’ early-2000s dynasty. In his first season (1999-00), the team went 67-15, moved into the new Staples Center, and won the championship—the franchise’s first since 1988. Jackson then led them to three straight titles (2000–2002) and five total with the Lakers.
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Phil Jackson and the 1999-2000 Lakers Roster discuss how they were able to turn their season around and how they found success playing as a collective unit.
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