Earlier this month, we had an opportunity to chat with Jeff Pearlman who penned the book “Showtime” about the glory years of the Los Angeles Lakers. In this podcast, the author discussed his five-best Los Angeles Lakers of all-time. Interestingly enough, the show’s host TC didn’t have Kobe Bryant in his top five.
For his part, Pearlman ranked the current Laker No. 3 on his all-time list.
Here are how their rankings broke down.
Jeff Pearlman: Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
TC: Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Here’s the segment in the podcast where they discuss whether Kobe is the greatest player in franchise history.
In continuing with this theme, I breakdown my top-five Lakers players of all-time. For the purpose of full disclosure, George Mikan and Elgin Baylor were the next two on my list.
I took into account statistics, titles, awards and overall success as a member of the organization. Where as Wilt Chamberlain may be one of the top-five players in NBA history, he won’t crack the top two on this list.
In the end, it seems that all three of us can agree on one thing…Earvin Magic Johnson is the greatest Los Angeles Lakers player of all-time. Without further ado, here is my list of the five-best Los Angeles Lakers of all-time.
5. Jerry West
14-Year Career: 27.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.7 APG and 2.7 SPG
West is quite literally the face of the NBA right now. Simply called “The Logo,” his impact on both the Los Angeles Lakers and the broader association simply cannot be understated. The honors and accolades are beyond belief from his playing days.
Selected by the then Minneapolis Lakers with the second overall pick in the 1960 draft, West started out the gate and scored nearly 18 points per outing as a rookie. He then took the next step as a sophomore, putting up over 30 points per outing in helping the now Los Angeles Lakers earn a trip to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, they would fall to the Boston Celtics in an epic seven-game series. Despite the loss, West put up 35 points in the decisive Game 7.
It was on from there.
West would go on to average at least 26 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in his next six seasons. Despite this, the Lakers would fall in the NBA Finals four times during that span, each time to the hated Celtics. It wasn’t until 1971-1972, after seven finals losses, that the Lakers would overcome the final hurdle and grab a championship. They defeated the New York Knicks in five games with West putting up 19.9 points and nearly nine rebounds per game.
It was the only championship that West would win in his stellar Hall of Fame career. He did earn 14 trips to the All-Star Game, an NBA Finals MVP in a losing effort to the Celtics and 10 NBA All-First Team honors.
4. Kobe Bryant
18-Year Career: 25.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.5 SPG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZfJJwsRaiE
As one of the greatest players in the history of the modern NBA, some think Kobe should be higher on this list. Unfortunately, there are many factors that came into play for us here. First off, he was lucky enough to play with one of the best big men to ever suit up in Shaquille O’Neal. Secondly, Phil Jackson coached all five of the Lakers championship teams.
While it’s hard to downgrade Bryant for that, we are talking about a franchise that has 16 championships under its belt. Any other organization, maybe outside of the Celtics, and Bryant would likely be in the top two or three.
Originally selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th selection of the 1996 draft, Bryant was immediately dealt to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. It remains one of the best trades in the history of the organization.
As a wide-eyed 18-year old rookie the following fall, Bryant was held back by then head coach Del Harris. He played less than 16 minutes per game and put up an average of 7.6 points. Bryant might have only started two games as a sophomore, but he picked up his production considerably, going for 15.4 points per game and playing an average of 26 minutes.
From there on out, Bryant became the face of the franchise.
He earned an All-Star trip during that second season, but ended up starting all 50 games in a lockout-shorted 1998-1999 campaign. That would be the last time that Bryant wasn’t named to an All-Star team.
In the years since, Bryant has led the league in scoring twice, won five NBA Championships, two NBA Finals MVP’s, four NBA All-Star game MVP’s, and two regular season MVP awards.
Despite owning the Lakers all-time scoring record, Kobe isn’t just a one-tricky pony. During his prime, the future Hall of Famer was among the best all-around defenders in the league. He earned nine All-NBA First-Team honors and locked down some of the best two guards the game had to offer, including holding Kerry Kittles to 12.5 points per game in the 2002 Finals and Ray Allen to under 15 points per outing in the 2010 Finals.
Because of his supporting cast, Bryant simply can’t be higher than No. 4 on our list of the five-best Los Angeles Lakers of all-time. This doesn’t mean that he isn’t among the greatest NBA players in league history.
3. Wilt Chamberlain
14-Year Career: 30.1 PPG, 22.9 RPG and 4.4 APG
If this were a list of all-time greats during their NBA career, Chamberlain would easily top the list. He possesses the record for the most points scored in a single game, 100 as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in 1962. He’s still the only player to average 50 points per game in a season, also achieved with the Warriors in 1961-1962.
After dominating the NBA for so many years with the Warriors franchise on both coasts and then with the Philadelphia 76ers for three-plus seasons, Chamberlain joined the Lakers for the final five seasons of his career. While nowhere near as dominating on a better all-around team, he still averaged nearly 20 rebounds per game and earned NBA Finals MVP against the New York Knicks in the aforementioned 1972 championship series.
Chamberlain’s career accolades include two championships, four MVP awards, 13 All-Star Game appearances and seven scoring titles. He remains the only NBA player to ever have his jersey retired by three different teams. Unfortunately because of a small sample size, Chamberlain can’t be any higher on our list of the five-best Los Angeles Lakers of all-time.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
20-Year Career: 24.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG and 2.6 BPG
Abdul-Jabbar, then named Lew Alcindor, was selected No. 1 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1969 NBA draft and first overall by the New York Nets in the ABA draft that same season. He decided to sign with the Bucks for a ridiculous price tag of $1.4 million despite the fact that New York was offering over $3 million in guarantees.
Just think about those figures for a second, guys/gals.
In five seasons with the Bucks, Alcindor led the team to a league championship and earned three MVP awards. He averaged 27 points and nearly 19 rebounds in the Bucks 1971 NBA Finals victory over the then Baltimore Bullets. Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar immediately following that series.
Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Lakers prior to the 1975 season for four players…the rest is history.
In 14 seasons with the Lakers, he won five championships, three league MVP awards, two NBA Finals MVP’s and earned 10 NBA All-First Team honors in addition to 13 All-Star Game appearances. He finished his career as the leading scorer in league history.
1. Magic Johnson
13-Year Career: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG and 1.9 SPG
Magic never averaged 30 points per game. He never scored 100 points in a single game. Heck, Magic averaged over 20 points per game just four times in his career. It was Magic’s all around game that transcended what it meant to be a star in the NBA. He was a dynamic passer, underrated scorer and outstanding team leader.
After being selected first overall from Michigan State in the 1979 NBA draft, Johnson averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per outing as a rookie. He quickly became a key catalyst for a Lakers team that won 50 games and earned their first NBA title in nearly a decade. In that championship series against the Philadelphia 76ers and Julius Erving, Johnson averaged a near triple double (21.5 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 8.7 APG). He became the first rookie to ever take home NBA Finals MVP. And a star was born.
Before having to eventually hang his sneakers up prematurely due to a HIV diagnosis, Johnson would win five NBA titles, three NBA Finals MVP’s and make 12 All-Star Game appearances.
For all this and more, Johnson tops the list of the five-best Los Angeles Lakers of all-time.
We want to thank Jeff Perlman for coming on the podcast.
If you haven’t already, check out his website. You can order this amazing book right from there.
Check out the full podcast on iTunes or on Sportsnaut’s front page.
Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey, USA Today