Los Angeles Lakers' All-Time Starting Five – CrownHoops
The Los Angeles Lakers are considered one of the most successful franchises in NBA history. With that, they have had an elite pool of players wearing their jersey. This makes up for one of the greatest All-Time lineups in the whole league. Here is the Los Angles Lakers’ All-Time starting five.
Los Angeles Lakers Player #1-Point Guard – Earvin Magic Johnson
To start is arguably one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game, Magic Johnson. The guard who played 13 seasons, all for the Lakers, was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2002. Magic has committed his whole basketball career to the organization, becoming the Head of Basketball Operations after his retirement.
Throughout his time playing for the team, he averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 11.2 assists. He was able to lead the Lakers to five NBA championships, winning three finals MVPs. Johnson is one of eight players ever to win three MVPs.
His accolades shine through to show how important he was to the team. He was unable to complete a fully healthy career, retiring twice before he officially retired the third time. Magic had two-three quality years in his late prime ahead of him where he would have been able to expand his resume. Furthermore, his lifelong commitment to the purple and gold also shows his importance to the organization.
Los Angeles Lakers Player # 2- Shooting Guard – Jerry West
Next, the shooting guard for this insanely talented team is the logo, Jerry West. Although West mainly played point guard, to accommodate for the different eras, some players are a little out of position. The logo’s career lasted 14 seasons and he played for the Lake show for all of them. He is now an executive board member for one of the Lakers’ biggest rivals, the Los Angles Clippers.
West averaged an outstanding 27 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game. Making 12 All-NBA Teams and five All-Defensive Teams, he was a beast on both sides of the court. West is also the only player in the history of the league to win Finals MVP while being on the losing team.
One of the logo’s most impressive accomplishments is averaging the most points in a playoff series. In the 1965 Western Division Finals, West averaged 46.3 points after his teammate, Elgin Baylor, blew out his knee. Jerry West is one of the most underrated players when it comes to naming the best players to wear the Purple and Gold.
Small Forward – Kobe Bryant
The Black Mamba no doubt has a spot on the Los Angeles Lakers’ All-Time Starting Five. Kobe Bean Bryant is one of the most phenomenal players to ever play in the league. Although he was not originally drafted by the Lakers, he was traded to them on draft night, which to this date is one of the best trades for an organization.
Throughout his 19 seasons in the NBA, Kobe averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game. Although he switched his jersey number, he wore purple and gold for his whole career. The five-time champion was finals MVP two times and the league MVP in the 2007-2008 season. Along with his incredible offensive skill, Kobe made 12 All-Defensive Teams. This proves how dominant he was on both sides of the court.
Not only was Kobe one of the greatest regular-season players, but he played well when it mattered most. Kobe averaged over 30 points per game in five different post-seasons, which is incredible. Furthermore, he is known as one of the most resilient players ever. A torn achilles tendon and a broken index finger were not enough to stop him from putting everything he had on the court.
Power Forward – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
At the four, it is the man who has scored the most points throughout an NBA career, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. At the time he played for the Los Angeles Lakers, he was playing center, but to accommodate others on the list, he has been moved down to the four as he would play the position better than the other candidates. Kareem is widely considered one of the top five centers to ever play, so it no question that he has earned his place on the Los Angles Lakers’ All-Time Starting Five.
Throughout his 20 year career as an NBA player, he averaged 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. However, in the last three seasons of his career he began playing a lot fewer minutes as his age was catching up to him. During his tenure for the Lakers, he was able to win five championships, along with one more with the Milwaukee Bucks. Kareem won six League MVPs, two Finals MVPs and 15 All-NBA Team appearances to go alongside his championships.
Basketball is a sport with two sides and if you are not able to be a presence on one side, there is no point for you to be on the court for the other. To further his case, Kareem was placed on 12 All-Defensive Teams. His rim-protection was vital for the success of his team as it was known that there would always be a backbone ready to stop an attack on the paint.
Center – Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal, more commonly referred to as Shaq, is the final player on the lineup. Although he only played for the team for eight years, and near the end of his time as a Laker, there were rather bitter feelings, his presence on the list is vital. Alongside Kareem, he is in the debate for one of the all-time centers.
Throughout his 19 year career, Big Diesel averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. His prime years were shared with the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers, and although he won a championship with Miami as well, his role on that team was quite minimal. In total, Shaq won four championships and was apart of the three-peat Lakers teams from 1999-2002. The fifteen-time All-Star won three finals MVPs is also on 14 All-NBA teams.
Although he was not able to stay with most of the guards, he did a good job protecting the paint while playing for the Lakers. His efforts on the defensive end allowed him to get three All-Defensive Team placements. Offensively, to this date, many consider him to be one of the most dominant players to ever hit the hard-wood.
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