Image credit: Fadeaway World
When it comes to the most successful NBA teams, the Los Angeles Lakers are considered the most successful. The team has won 18 championships since entering the league as one of the original teams. During their time in Minneapolis from 1948 to 1960, the team was successful from the start, winning six championships during that time, including an NPL title in 1948. The team then moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and went on to 12 championships.
Narrowing the selection down to just 10 players is a daunting task given the amount of talent the franchise has historically possessed. There are close to 20 or more players who could have a spot, but in the end, the top 10 list deserves only 10 players. Given the sheer number of wins, the list of honorable mentions is long but worthwhile. To be recognized as the greatest Los Angeles Lakers of all time is a truly special recognition.
Here are 10 of the greatest Los Angeles Lakers players of all time.
honor award
byron scott
Credit: Getty Images
Years in Los Angeles: 11 (1983-1993)
Los Angeles: 15.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career: 14.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Honors: 3 NBA Championships (1985, 1987, 1988), All-Rookie First Team (1984)
During the Showtime era, the Lakersā longtime guard was a constant force for years. With Magic Johnson, the team doesnāt need a point guard to shine. However, Scott fulfills his role well. Given the year, Scott was a good addition or backup in 11 seasons. Scott is ninth on the all-time points list with 12,780 points.
Scott is one of four players with at least 1,000 steals. His 1,038 steals are third all-time. He is one of nine players with 800 games played and is tied for eighth with 846 games played. Three-point shooting is Scottās strong suit, as his 595 3-point attempts rank fourth.
anthony davis
Image credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Los Angeles: 4 (2019-present)
Los Angeles: 24.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.3 blocks
Career: 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.4 steals, 2.3 blocks per game
Honours: NBA Championship (2020), 2-time All-Star (2020, 2021), All-NBA First Team (2020), All-Defensive First Team (2020)
Anthony Davis has time to enter the record books. He is in his fourth season with the Lakers and has many years to go after his recent extension with the team. Davis is a key part of the teamās championship-winning 2020 run. He lost Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and a first-round pick.
In his first year, Davis was named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team. He almost won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Paired with LeBron James, the Lakers are back on track and headed for a championship. Without Davis, this wouldnāt have happened.
jamal wilkes
Credit: Getty Images
Years in Los Angeles: 8 (1977-1985)
Los Angeles: 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks
Career: 17.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks per game
Honors: 4 NBA Championships (1975, 1980, 1982, 1985), 2 All-Stars (1981, 1983), 2 All-Defensive Second Teams (1976, 1977), No. 52 Lakers retired
Wilkes won three championships as a main player in the Showtime era, but we canāt forget that he was an All-Star for two years in the 1980s. Wilkes has 10,601 career points, which puts him at No. 10 on the all-time list. Considering Wilkes has averaged 18.4 points per game over his eight-year career, he hasnāt been riding the bandwagon of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Wilkes was also an All-Defensive player before the Showtime era began. He is one of nine players with at least 700 steals. His 706 career steals are ninth all-time. He is one of the few players whose jersey has been retired. All in all, heās earned his place as a Lakers all-time great.
michael cooper
Photo credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Los Angeles: 12 (1978-1990)
Los Angeles: 8.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Career: 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks
Honors: 5 NBA Championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Defensive Player of the Year (1987), 5 All-Defensive First Team (1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988), 3 All-Defensive Second Team (1981, 1983, 1986)
There will be some very skilled offensive players on this list. What we canāt ignore is the defensive end of the ball. Cooper is the only player in Lakers history to win Defensive Player of the Year. While Cooper was a five-time champion, he was also a member of the five-time All-Defensive First Team. During his 12-year career, Cooper was named to the All-Defensive Team eight times.
Cooper knows his role on the team. He doesnāt need to score. He has a job to do, and heās good at it. Cooperās 3,666 career assists and 1,033 career steals rank fifth all-time. Cooper is one of five players with at least 1,000 steals in his career with the Lakers. He also finished in the top 10 with 523 blocks, ranking him 10th.
gasol
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee ā USA TODAY Sports
Years in Los Angeles: 7 (2008-2014)
Los Angeles: 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.4 blocks
Career: 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.6 blocks per game
Honors: 2 NBA Championships (2009, 2010), 3 All-Stars (2009-2011), NBA All-NBA Second Team (2011), 2 NBA All-NBA Third Team (2009, 2010)
Pau Gasol is Kobe Bryant what Anthony Davis is to LeBron James. Both players have comparable Lakers resumes, but Gasol has won two championships. When the Lakers acquired Gasol from the Grizzlies, it was a major momentum shift. The Lakers reached the NBA Finals in 2008, but were defeated by the Celtics. The team then went on to back-to-back All-Star seasons and back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
Every year, Gasol is the best player in the NBA. With the Lakers, he was 0.1 rebounds away from averaging a double-double. He ranks 10th in blocked shots, and his 607 blocks are ninth among nine players with at least 600 career blocks. Bryantās longtime teammate and friend is just what the Lakers need to win a title.
Fern Mickelson
Credit: AP Photo/Marty Zimmerman
Years in Los Angeles: 10 (1949-1959)
Los Angeles: 14.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Career: 14.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists
Honors: 4 NBA Championships (1950, 1952-1954), 6 All-Stars (1951-1953, 1955-1957), 4 All-NBA Second Teams (1951-1953, 1955), Lakers 19th pick bit
Mickelson was one of the first superstars when the Lakers were based in Minneapolis. The Lakers won four NBA championships, and Mickelson played a huge role. He was a six-time All-Star and a four-time All-NBA selection. He was a rebounding machine and retired as the all-time leader in rebounding.
A long time has passed since 1959, so naturally, the record has fallen. That being said, Mickelson ranks seventh all-time in career rebounds with 5,940. Heās also a decent free throw shooter. Six players in franchise history have at least 3,000 career rebounds. Mickelson has 2,969 free throw attempts in his career, eighth all-time.
Jim Pollard
Image credit: Los Angeles Times
Years in Los Angeles: 7 (1948-1955)
Los Angeles: 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists
Career: 13.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists
Honors: 5 NBA Championships (1949, 1950, 1952-1954), 4 All-Stars (1951, 1952, 1954, 1955), 2 All-NBA First Teams (1949, 1950), 2 All-NBA Teams Second Team (1952, 1954)
Another original great was Jim Pollard. He was one of the first players named to the All-NBA First Team in 2949. In seven seasons, he was a four-time All-Star and a four-time All-NBA selection. Pollard is the third player to make the Minneapolis Lakers difficult to beat, tying with Mickelson and George Mikan.
Pollard was nicknamed āKangaroo Kidā for his jumping ability. He is said to be able to dunk from the free-throw line, and he also has an excellent corner three-pointer. While Pollard didnāt rank in any major statistical category, he provided key roles for five championship teams.
Gail Goodrich
Photo credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Los Angeles: 9 (1965-1968, 1970-1976)
Los Angeles: 19.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career: 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.2 blocks per game
Accolades: NBA Championship (1972), 4-time All-Star (1972-1975), All-NBA First Team (1974), Lakers retired No. 25 pick
Goodrich briefly played for the Lakers early in his career before joining the Suns. When he returned, the Lakers were back among title contenders. Goodrich had four strong seasons from 1972 to 1975, averaging 25.9, 23.9, 25.3 and 22.6 points per game. He was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1974 and helped the team win a championship in 1972.
In terms of his points, he is one of seven players with at least 13,000 career points. His 13,044 career points rank seventh all-time. He also ranks seventh in career assists with 2,863. Goodrich also ranks ninth in free throws made (2,830) and 10th in minutes played (21,765). He earned the right to retire the number.
10. LeBron James
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Years in Los Angeles: 5 (2018-present)
Los Angeles: 27.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career: 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.8 blocks
Honours: NBA Championship (2020), Finals MVP (2020), 4-time All-Star Game (2018-2022), All-NBA First Team (2020), All-NBA Second Team ( 2021), 2-time All-NBA Third Team (2019), 2022), assists leader (2020)
LeBron James ranks among the top 10 best Lakers with his resume. When he left the Cavaliers, he was already a Triple Crown winner, having won two championships with the Heat and one championship with the Cavaliers. He started an injury-plagued season in his first year, but his production improved after the team traded for Anthony Davis. James changed his style of play, became the teamās starting point guard, and led the league in assists. The Lakers are a top defensive team and have risen in the playoffs to claim the 2020 championship.
James won the Finals MVP award, his fourth Finals, and his third team. Despite playing for five years, James still has 565 3-pointers made, fifth in franchise history. He was passing Byron Scott with a 595 for fourth. In his older years, James changed his game to make this team a success. With a ring, assists crown and almost winning the scoring title a year ago, there isnāt much he can do for this team.
9. Wilt Chamberlain
Image credit: Darryl Norenberg ā USA TODAY Sports
Years in Los Angeles 5 (1968-1973)
Los Angeles: 17.7 points, 19.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Career: 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists per game
Accolades: NBA Championship (1972), Finals MVP (1972), 4-time All-Star (1969, 1971-1973), All-NBA Second Team (1972), 2-time All-Defensive Team First team (1972, 1973), 4 rebounds (1969, 1971-1973), No. 13 was retired by the Lakers
When Chamberlain came to the Lakers, he was very similar to James. Heās not the type of player who can score 100 points in a game. Instead, he was asked to focus on rebounding while the coaching staff developed his passing skills. Chamberlain averaged 20 rebounds per game over five years and played in the paint. Thanks to his efforts, his 6,524 rebounds remain fifth all-time.
The Lakers would not have won the championship in 1972 without Chamberlainās revised game. While Gail Goodrich wasnāt great offensively, Chamberlain was a rebounder and interior defender. He won the rebounding title in four of five seasons and would have won more All-Defensive Teams if the award had been held longer.
8. James Worthy
Image source: NBA.com
Years in Los Angeles: 12 (1982-1994)
Los Angeles: 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks
Career: 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks
Honors: 3 NBA Championships (1985, 1987, 1988), Finals MVP (1988), 7 All-Stars (1986-1992), 2 All-NBA Third Teams (1990, 1991), Best Rookie No. 1 First team (1983), No. 42 was retired by the Lakers
When the Lakers selected Worthy with the No. 1 pick, the teamā¦
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