When one thinks of the Los Angeles Lakers’ Showtime dynasty of the 1980s, they will inevitably think of Magic Johnson running the fast break, James Worthy or Byron Scott finishing it with a slam dunk, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhooks and coach Pat Riley orchestrating it all. But one man started the whole phenomenon, and he hardly ever gets any credit for it.
That man was Jack McKinney. Unfortunately, on the evening of September 25, ESPN reported that former Lakers coach Jack McKinney had passed away at the age of 83.
For many Laker fans, especially the casual fans, this story may not catch their attention.