The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the best NBA Franchises in NBA History. They have the second most championships of all-time with 16. They are in a big market as they play at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers have had many dominant players in the franchise and we will look at most of them.
PG: Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson played 13 seasons with the Lakers. In that time he averaged 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 11.2 APG. Johnson also won 5 Championships with the Lakers. He is of the point guard of all-time. Johnson holds many records and won the MVP 3 times in his career.
SG: Kobe Bryant
RIP to one of my favorite players of all-time growing up. Kobe played all 20 seasons with the Lakers and was dominant. He averaged 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 4.7 APG. Kobe also won 5 NBA Championships. In my opinion #8 and #24 should be retired but the Lakers may only retire one number. Bryant was a 15-time All-NBA Selection and was the youngest player to appear in an all-star game and oldest to score 60 points in a game.
SF: Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor also spent his whole career with the Lakers which ended up being 14 seasons. Baylor averaged 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG, and 4.3 APG. Somehow Elgin Baylor and his Lakers never won a championship.
PF: Pau Gasol
In Gasol’s seven seasons with the Lakers he was able to accomplish a lot. He averaged 17.7 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 3.5 APG while adding two NBA Championships.
C: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem is one of the best centers to ever play the game. In his 14 seasons with the Lakers he averaged 22.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 3.3 APG. Five of his sic NBA Championships came from the Lakers. As a Laker he also won MVP three times. He has the most points in NBA History due to his infamous skyhook that is still used today.
6th Man: Jerry West
West played all 14 seasons with the Lakers. He played both PG and SG. He averaged 27.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 6.7 APG. He won one NBA Championship in his career. As an executive he won eight Championships. West is the current logo of the NBA.
7th Man: Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq played eight of his nineteen seasons with the Lakers. He averaged 27.0 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 2.4 APG. Shaq is one of the most dominant players of all-time. Nobody could match up against him physically as he was also known for shattering backboards. Three out of Shaq’s four rings came with the Lakers. He has also won MVP once and Finals MVP three times.
8th Man: George Mikan
Mikan played all seven seasons with the Lakers. He averaged 23.1 PPG, 13.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG. Mikan also won five Championships. He was so dominant the NBA had to add a shot clock and goaltending to try and neutralize him.
9th Man: Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain played five seasons with the Lakers. In those five seasons he averaged 17.7 PPG, 19.2 RPG, and 4.3 APG. One of his two rings came with the Lakers. In four of his five seasons with the Lake Show he led the league in rebounds.
10th Man: James Worthy
James Worthy played all twelve seasons with the Lakers. In those twelve seasons he averaged 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG. He also won 3 NBA Championships. Worthy was also an all-star for seven straight seasons.
11th Man: LeBron James
Depending on who you ask, some people think LeBron should be higher on this list or not at all. However, LeBron is a top-2 player of all-time and he can easily accomplish a lot with the Lakers. In his two seasons with the Lakers he averaged 26.5 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 9.5 APG. The Lakers are serious contenders to win the Finals this year due to the dynamic duo of LeBron and Anthony Davis.
12th Man: Gail Goodrich
Gail Goodrich also played both PG and SG for the Lakers. He spent nine seasons with the organization averaging 19.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.2 APG. He also won one NBA Championship in 1972. The year they won the Finals he led his team in scoring.
Head Coach: Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson is one of the best coaches of all-time. He had a career record of 1,640 wins, and 1,155 losses. He coached the Lakers for 11 of his 20 seasons. With the Lakers he went 902-610. He won 11 NBA Championships as a coach with five of them being from the Lakers. He also won 118 playoff games as a member of the Lakers which is second all-time.
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