Ten Best Lakers of All Time
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most popular sports franchises on the planet. Some of the very best basketball players in the world have worn purple and gold shirt, taking the team to 16 NBA Championships.
There are many discussions about the best Lakers in the history of the game. Fans have distinguished opinions according to personal preferences. We have decided to create our list of the ten most legendary basketball superstars who left a deep mark on the Lakers’ shirt throughout history.
While some of the choices made by BettingPicks4You Basketball Expert John Pentin on the list may surprise you, it is worth noting that our selections were mainly influenced by the legacies the players have left in Los Angeles rather than the individual careers they’ve made. LeBron James thus did not make the list despite taking the team to one NBA Championship and being one of the best players to have ever played the game.
10 – Pau Gasol
The Lakers acquired Gasol from the trade with the Memphis Grizzlies and such a move instantly paid off as the legendary Spanish center represented a genuine co-star to Kobe Bryant on the way to successive NBA titles in 2009 and 2010. The Spaniard posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds throughout his Lakers career.
9 – Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher was one of the most clutch three-point shooters in NBA history. The point guard has won five NBA trophies with the Lakers. While doing so in his 12-season reign in Los Angeles, Derek has managed a couple of extraordinary achievements. Only Kobe Bryant himself has scored more three-pointers than him in franchise history and only four other players have accumulated more appearances for the Lakers than Fisher.
8 – George Mikan
We stay at five NBA championships as George Mikan is the next up on the list. Mikan has spent his whole career at Minneapolis Lakers, averaging 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds along the way. He is one of the inaugural players to have entered the Hall of Fame and he will always be remembered for his legendary hook-shot.
7 – Elgin Baylor
Elgin is another player who has spent his entire playing career as a Laker. No other Laker has accumulated more rebounds than Baylor who is at the same time the fourth-highest scoring man in franchise history. The fact that he has never won the NBA Championship is the only thing that keeps him as low as seventh on the list.
6 – Shaquille O’Neal
You may be surprised to see Big Shaq only in sixth place as many fans would argue that he deserves a higher position. Shaq earned the MVP awards in all three of his NBA Championship runs with the Lakers, providing an amazing duo with Kobe Bryant. No other big has been as dominant in the league as O’Neal ever since he left the competition after eight years in the Lakers.
5 – Jerry West
Jerry has only won one NBA title with the Lakers but his numbers during the spell in Los Angeles were brutal. West earned the status of the Lakers’ icon by scoring 27 points per game. He also had more than five assists and rebounds each per game throughout his Lakers’ career.
4 – Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt is another man with a single NBA Championship but the contribution he has had as a Laker was almost unparalleled. Chamberlain still holds the all-time franchise record in rebounds per game as he almost averaged 20 boards per match. He also tops the team’s field-goal percentage of all time with a 60.5% shot from the field.
3 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem is a proper LA legend. He has led the Lakers to five NBA trophies alongside Magic Johnson. He registered around 22 points per game during his incredible 14-year spell at the LA Lakers. He is the dynasty’s third-highest scorer of all time.
2 – Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson has won five NBA titles and has been voted the regular season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP three times each during his 13-year spell as a Laker. He is in the top five in both points scored and assists given the team’s history and he is widely known as the most dynamic player to have ever worn this shirt.
1 – Kobe Bryant
With all due respect to everyone else, Kobe Bryant just has to be the biggest Laker in franchise history. The Black Mamba is the highest-scoring player in the team’s history. He has earned two NBA Finals MVPs, one regular season MVP, and he has made 15 All-Star appearances during a rich career that saw him win five NBA Championships with his beloved Lakers.
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