The Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s better known as “Showtime” was one of the most well-known teams in NBA History, winning 5 titles from 1980-88.
Los Angeles at the time was oozing with celebrities and fame and helped form their identity as the flashiest team the NBA has ever seen. However, what many don’t know was how scandalous, lustful, and druggie the Lakers really were.
Former guard Michael Cooper stated the Lakers were “full of whores” with star Magic Johnson being the biggest one.
Though Magic was the most risque, Cooper was not one to talk. Cooper was known for being a cocaine user and one of the more popular players on the Lakers.
However, Michael Cooper was not the only coke lover and neither was it just the Lakers who did cocaine. Cocaine was all over the NBA in the lates 70s and 80s.
Players such as Michael Ray Richardson, David Thompson, and tragically Len Bias all had their careers derailed by cocaine. Even teams such as the Bulls who were mediocre at the time were doing a lot of cocaine.
Luckily, young players such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, and Michael Jordan had a passion for the game that allowed for drugs to become less popular in the locker room.
In addition to cocaine, Infidelity was also common for the Lakers. Many players were caught cheating on their wives. Women were all over the Lakers. They were at the game, waited after the game, and often followed the players to either the Lakers’ Hotel or the Forum Club.
The Forum Club was the worst place for any NBA player to be, and the Lakers went there after every game.
Anybody famous in LA, living there or visiting went to the Forum Club. Awaiting them was a load of women.
However, the only threat for anyone who wasn’t an A-lister was Magic Johnson. Once Magic entered, the women mobbed towards him. However, the most attractive thing about the Forum Club was cocaine, and even the waiters served it. The most lustful place in Los Angeles was in the Lakers’ home.
Photo Credit: NBA.com
