2005–06 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 2005–06 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 58th of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the 60th overall. The Lakers finished in third place of the Pacific Division and as the seventh seed of the Western Conference. The season ended with the team being eliminated in seven games against the Phoenix Suns in the First Round of the playoffs after holding a 3-1 series lead. After a year absence, the Lakers rehired Phil Jackson as their head coach. It was the final season that Kobe Bryant wore jersey number 8  before changing it to 24 the following season. Also memorable from this season was during a January 22, 2006 game vs. the Toronto Raptors where Bryant dropped a record 81 points, only the 2nd highest total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962. After the playoffs, Bryant underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in July. This led to him missing the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Draft picks. The Lakers had 3 picks going into the 2005 NBA draft. The Lakers picked seven footer Andrew Bynum as the 10th pick of the draft. Los Angeles  also picked Ronny Turiaf and Von Wafer as the 37th and 39th picks respectively. Regular season. The Lakers opened the season with an overtime victory against the Denver Nuggets. Despite dipping below .500 during the November, the team recovered and finished 2005 with a 15-14 record. The team went into the All Star Break with a 26-26 record The Lakers did not maintain any long winning streaks nor were they in long losing slumps; their longest winning streak of the season equalled their longest losing streak of 5 games. The team finished the season with a 5-game  winning streak, the longest of the season, and an overall 45-37 record. The Lakers finished third in the Pacific Division and qualified for the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Western Conference. In a January home game against the Toronto Raptors, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second most in a single game in NBA history, behind Wilt Chamberlain's 100. Player statistics. Regular season. <nowiki>*</nowiki>Total for entire season including previous team(s)