Los Angeles Lakers, American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers are one of the most successful and popular professional franchises in all American sports. The franchise has won a combined 17 Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) titles, tied in league history with their rival the Boston Celtics. The franchise that would become the Lakers was founded in 1946 as the Detroit Gems and played in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1947, and its name was changed to the Lakers to reflect the Minnesota state nickname,