Juan Pablo Aravena
The Lakers are a franchise like few others in the NBA, as only a few possess the historical record they have amassed over the years. The Western Conference squad has a rich history, some of the greatest players in history, 17 titles and 62 playoff appearances. Today, we’ll take a look at the top five players to ever don the gold-and-purple shirt.
Kobe Bryant, a posthumous Lakers icon
Kobe was a fantastic athlete who left us too soon, unfortunately. Bryant’s reputation will be tarnished by fire not only for his breakthroughs achieved with the Lakers, but also because he held the record for the most win shares in the league’s history with 172.7 and defended the Angelino team during his 20 seasons in the NBA. Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game throughout the course of his career. He was chosen for 18 All-Star Games, won the MVP award in 2007-08, and served as the game’s MVP four times.
An NBA and Lakers Icon: Jerry West
Jerry West had such a significant impact on basketball that the NBA currently uses his silhouette as its emblem. In fact, up until the “Showtime” era in the 1980s, when the Los Angeles team featured players like Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the former point guard was the Lakers’ best player. West averaged 27.0 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game while playing with the Lakers during the course of his 14-year NBA career. With a victory share of 162.6, he is second only to Bryant in the franchise.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer played part of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he also made his mark with the Lakers, playing 14 of his 20 seasons in the best basketball league in the world for the Los Angeles franchise. Abdul-Jabbar won the title of top scorer once, best rebounder twice and best blocker in the NBA four times. He scored 24,176 of his 38,387 points defending the Lakers. With the Lakers, where he also averaged 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game, he won five championships. He also owns the league record for most points scored. This player is unquestionably one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is considered one of the best point guards in history and an icon not only to the Lakers, but also to the city of Los Angeles thanks to his ownership of the Dodgers (MLB) and Los Angeles FC (MLS). In 906 games with the Lakers during the course of his basketball career, Johnson averaged a double-double of 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds. He participated in the All-Star Game 12 times, won three MVP awards, and won five championships with the Lakers. Its win shares were 155.8 at the time.
Shaquille O’Neal
One of the most dominant inside players in NBA history thanks to his physical strength and scoring ability, O’Neal started his career with the Orlando Magic but was at his best with the Lakers, where he formed a spectacular duo with Kobe Bryant winning three consecutive championships between the 1999-2000 and 2001-02 seasons. He played from 1997 to 2004 with the Lakers, averaging 27.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in 514 games.
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