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Bridget Samuels from College Park, MD, Phil Jackson coaching LAL, CC BY 2.0
Who are the top Los Angeles Lakers of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Jamaal Wilkes: in eight seasons with the Lakers during his Hall of Fame career, Wilkes was a 2x All-Star who averaged 18+ points per game and helped the team win three championships during the “Showtime” era.
9. James Worthy: a vital part of the 1980s “Showtime” Lakers, Worthy was a 7x All-Star and 2x All-NBA selection who helped lead Los Angeles to three NBA titles, including being named Finals MVP in 1987-1988.
8. Wilt Chamberlain: though he only spent the last five years of his career with Los Angeles, Chamberlain was an All-Star and rebounding champion every full season he played with the team (4x) and won Finals MVP as part of the team’s 1971-1972 title run.
7. George Mikan: the league’s first great big man, Mikan only played seven seasons, but was a 3x scoring champion who averaged 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds per game for his career, and led the Minneapolis Lakers to five titles in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
6. Elgin Baylor: an 11x All-Star and 10x All-NBA selection, Baylor was one of the most dominant players of the 1960s, averaging 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game for his career; however, in eight NBA Finals matchups vs. the rival Celtics, his Lakers lost each time, though he was given an honorary ring when Los Angeles finally broke through in 1971-1972.
5. Jerry West: immortalized as the silhouette of the NBA’s logo, West was an All-Star every year of his illustrious career with the Lakers (14x) and remains the only player in league history to win Finals MVP in a losing effort.
4. Shaquille O’Neal: perhaps the most physically imposing center of all-time and well-known for his thundering dunks, O’Neal was not only a league MVP and a 2x scoring champion (once with the Lakers), but also won four NBA titles (including three-in-a-row at the turn of the century playing with Kobe Bryant) and was named Finals MVP 3x.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: so dominant in college that they banned dunking because of him, Abdul-Jabbar was a 6x NBA champion and record 6x league MVP who remains the all-time leading scorer in NBA history; in his 14 seasons with the Lakers, he won five titles (with a Finals MVP) and three MVPs.
2. Magic Johnson: a 6’9” tour de force who revolutionized the point guard position and was the maestro of the 1980s “Showtime” Lakers, Magic could do it all on the court – a 3x MVP and 5x NBA champion (3x Finals MVP), he averaged double-digit assists for his career (4x assists leader) and also racked up 138 career triple-doubles.
1. Kobe Bryant: the youngest All-Star starter in NBA history and known for his “Mamba Mentality”, the late Bryant was an MVP, 18x All-Star, 15x All-NBA, and 12x All-Defensive selection who led the league in scoring 2x and helped the Lakers win five titles during his 20-year career with the team.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: This list includes players who played for the Minneapolis Lakers.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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