By: History.com Editors

1972

Los Angeles Lakers’ record winning streak ends

History.com Editors

Published: September 24, 2021

Last Updated: January 24, 2025

On January, 9, 1972, the longest winning streak in major professional sports is snapped at 33 games when the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 120-104. A 39-point performance by the Bucks’ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hands the Lakers their first loss since October 31.

Afterward, Lakers coach Bill Sharman kept the locker room closed for 15 minutes. He had a speech written for when the team's streak ended, but he kept the dog-eared paper in his coat pocket, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Oh, I had a couple of corny things written," he said. "but I didn't read them today." Sharman credited the Bucks' aggressive defense for being the difference. "We had to work for every shot we took," he said.

The Lakers included center Wilt Chamberlain, a future Hall of Famer, who had set a season record for points 10 years earlier. But the aging Chamberlain was only fourth on the team in points per game. Gail Goodrich and Jerry West, both of whom would join Chamberlain in the Hall of Fame, led the team in scoring at nearly 26 points per game apiece.

Abdul-Jabbar, the Bucks' star and a future Hall of Famer, was traded to the Lakers in 1975.

Beginning with a 110-106 victory over the Baltimore Bullets in the first game of November, the Lakers tore through the league for the next two months. Their closest brush with defeat came on December 10, when the Phoenix Suns took them to overtime.

Two nights later, the Lakers broke the NBA record for most consecutive wins by defeating the Bucks, who had set the record at 20 the previous season. The Lakers scored at least 100 points in every game during the streak, and only failed to do so once all season.

“When we put it all together, we've got to be perhaps the greatest club ever,” Sharman said during the streak.

After losing to the Bucks on January 9, the Lakers hit a rough patch but finished the regular season with a 69-13 record. In the first round of the playoffs, they swept the Chicago Bulls in four games, then defeated the Bucks in the second round in six games. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the New York Knicks in five games to earn their first title since the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on January 9th

1493

Columbus mistakes manatees for mermaids

Explorer Christopher Columbus, sailing near the Dominican Republic, believes he spots three “mermaids." In reality they were manatees.

Portrait of Christopher Columbus, 1519

1768

First modern circus is staged

On or about January 9, 1768, Englishman Philip Astley stages the first modern circus in London. Trick riders, acrobats, clowns, trained animals and other familiar components of the circus have existed throughout recorded history, but it was not until the late 18th century that the modern spectacle of the circus was born. Astley, a former […]

1861

“Star of the West” is fired upon

On January 9, 1861, a Union merchant ship, the Star of the West, is fired upon as it tries to deliver supplies to Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. This incident was the first time shots were exchanged between North and South, although it did not trigger the Civil War. When South Carolinians seceded […]

1887

Record cold and snow decimates cattle herds

On one of the worst days of the “worst winter in the West,” nearly an inch of snow falls every hour for 16 hours, impeding the ability of already starving cattle to find food. The plains ranchers had seen hard winters before, but they had survived because their cattle had been well-fed going into the […]

1913

Richard M. Nixon is born

Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th president of the United States, is born on January 9, 1913 in California. The son of Quaker parents, Nixon grew up in the southern California city of Yorba Linda. Early on he proved himself to be a stellar student, attending Whittier College and graduating from Duke University Law School with honors. Nixon […]

1916

Bugatti brother dies by suicide

On January 9, 1916 Rembrandt Bugatti, a sculptor and younger brother of Italian auto designer and manufacturer Ettore Bugatti, dies by suicide at the age of 31. The Bugatti brothers were born in Milan, Italy—Ettore in 1881 and Rembrandt in 1884. They came from a creative family that included artists and architects. Their father, Carlo […]

1916

Allies retreat from Gallipoli

On January 9, 1916, Allied forces complete their full retreat from the shores of the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, ending a disastrous invasion of the Ottoman Empire. The Gallipoli Campaign resulted in 250,000 Allied casualties and greatly discredited Allied military command. Roughly an equal number of Turks were killed or wounded. In early 1915, the […]

1924

Virginia Woolf buys a house in Bloomsbury

On January 9, 1924, Virginia Woolf and her husband buy a house at 52 Tavistock Square, in the Bloomsbury district of London near the British Museum. Woolf had been associated with the district since 1902, when she took a house in the area with her three siblings after their father’s death. She had remained in […]

1945

United States invades Luzon in Philippines

Gen. Douglas MacArthur and the American 6th Army land on the Lingayen Gulf of Luzon, another step in the capture of the Philippine Islands from the Japanese. The Japanese controlled the Philippines from May 1942, when the defeat of American forces led to General MacArthur’s departure and Gen. Jonathan Wainwright’s capture. But in October 1944, […]

1952

President Truman warns of Cold War dangers

In his 1952 State of the Union address, President Harry S. Truman warns Americans that they are “moving through a perilous time,” and calls for vigorous action to meet the communist threat. Though Truman’s popularity had nose-dived during the previous 18 months because of complaints about the way that he handled the Korean War, his […]

1972

Fire breaks out on former RMS Queen Elizabeth

On January 9, 1972, the ship Seawise University (formerly the RMS Queen Elizabeth) sinks in Hong Kong Harbor despite a massive firefighting effort over two days. The Queen Elizabeth, named after the wife of King George VI, was launched on September 27, 1938; at the time, it was the largest passenger steamship ever constructed. When […]

1976

Sylvester Stallone starts filming “Rocky”

The classic rags-to-riches story got a macho spin in the Oscar-winning Rocky, which was written by its star, Sylvester Stallone, and began filming on January 9, 1976. Stallone had his own rags-to-riches tale: Born in the gritty Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York City, he was a juvenile delinquent who was kicked out of a […]

1978

Harvey Milk becomes the first openly gay person elected to public office in California

Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the history of California, takes his place on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on January 9, 1978. The first and, for years, most visible openly gay politician in America, Milk was a longtime activist and pioneering leader of San Francisco’s LGBT community. After serving in […]

1979

Pop luminaries gather at the U.N. for the Music for UNICEF concert

On January 9, 1979, the United Nation’s Children’s Fund, a.k.a. UNICEF, stages a concert fundraiser featuring dozens of leading lights of late-’70s pop music. Designed to publicize the organization’s proclamation of 1979 as the “International Year of the Child” the event called attention to the poverty, malnutrition and lack of access to quality education affecting […]

1984

One of the “Hillside Stranglers” sentenced to life

Angelo Buono, one of the Hillside Stranglers, is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the rape, torture, and murder of 10 young women in Los Angeles. Buono’s cousin and partner in crime, Kenneth Bianchi, testified against Buono to escape the death penalty. Buono, a successful auto upholsterer, and Bianchi began their serial […]

2001

Apple launches iTunes, revolutionizing how people consume music

On January 9, 2001, Apple launches iTunes, a media player that revolutionized the way people consumed digital media. Bill Kincaid and Jeff Robbin, two former Apple employees, developed an MP3 player called SoundJam MP in the late 1990s. In 2000, Apple re-hired them and their partner, Dave Heller, to work on a similar player that […]

2007

Steve Jobs debuts the iPhone

On January 9, 2007, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs unveils the iPhone—a touchscreen mobile phone with an iPod, camera and Web-browsing capabilities, among other features—at the Macworld convention in San Francisco. Jobs, dressed in his customary jeans and black mock turtleneck, called the iPhone a “revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead […]

Related Articles

See All Articles
Sports

Hot Springs, Grapefruits and the Babe: A History of Spring Training

Here are four surprising stories you might not know about the origins of spring training.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens is shown in his wind up and pitch during the 1st inning of the Detroit-Boston game in this multiple exposure.
Sports

Who Invented Baseball?

A Civil War hero named Abner Doubleday is often credited with developing the game in 1839, but the real history is older.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 01: A general view during the national anthem before the start of the game between the against the Atlanta Braves and against the Philadelphia Phillies on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on April 1, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Sports

Baseball Opening Day Fun Facts

From record-breaking feats to streaking fans, Opening Day has seen its share of memorable moments.

Basketball.
Sports

Who Invented Basketball?

A Canadian is to thank for one of America’s favorite pastimes.

See All Articles

About the author

History.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen and Christian Zapata.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article title
Los Angeles Lakers’ record winning streak ends
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
March 25, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 24, 2025
Original Published Date
September 24, 2021

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us