The 1992–93 NBA season was the Lakers' 45th season in the National Basketball Association, and 33rd in the city of Los Angeles. During the off-season, the Lakers signed free agent James Edwards, who won two championships with the Detroit Pistons. After playing in the Olympics, All-Star guard Magic Johnson attempted a comeback, but cut it short when other NBA players expressed fear of playing against him. Under new head coach Randy Pfund, the Lakers played around .500 for the first half of the season holding a 26–23 at the All-Star break. At midseason, Sam Perkins was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Benoit Benjamin and top draft pick Doug Christie. However, the Lakers struggled playing below .500 for the remainder of the season, losing 11 of 12 games between March 17 and A