When it comes to the Lakers, Kohler has the right stuff

LOS ANGELES -- Jerry West has witnessed the purple-and-gold basketball heavens. So has Magic Johnson. By all accounts, the view from the Lakers memorabilia summit is breathtaking.

"They were blown away," says David Kohler, whose extensive collection is stashed in a 1,000-plus-square-foot upstairs shrine in his Orange County home. "I've had a lot of fun with it. It has been my passion."

The 46-year-old sports memorabilia dealer had his interest stoked in amassing all things Lakers three decades ago. Upon leaving a Lakers game at the old Forum with his parents in the early 1970s and walking past a souvenir stand, the 10-year-old was told he was not getting a Wilt Chamberlain poster he so desired.

Boy, did the kid ever make up for it.

Today, Kohler's vast collection includes more than 2,000 items, including more than 100 game-worn jerseys, ...