The Los Angeles Lakers have had no shortage of NBA legends and Hall of Famers throughout their illustrious history, from George Mikan to LeBron James and everybody else in between. But in addition to all these stars, the supporting cast has played key roles in winning 17 championships in franchise history. These unheralded heroes have received much less fanfare, but they will always remain beloved by the L.A. faithful.
Here's a list of the three greatest Lakers ever who never made an All-Star team, plus one significant honorable mention.
Honorable mention: Robert Horry
It might feel like blasphemy to make a list of the Lakers' greatest role players and not include Robert Horry. To avoid the ire of Lakers fans everywhere, he picks up an honorable mention for this list.
Horry, known by his beloved moniker of “Big Shot Bob,” is best known by Lakers fans for his series-shifting shot to sink the Sacramento Kings during the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
The Kings were a force that season, led by upstart star Chris Webber and some well-remembered supporting players of their own like Mike Bibby and former Laker Vlade Divac.
Without this shot, the three-peat might have never even happened:
The only thing keeping Horry from the top three is, ironically, longevity. While he's best known for winning seven rings throughout his storied 16-year career, he only played a relatively small role during his stint with the Lakers. He never averaged double digits in points and actually spent most of his time on the bench.
Horry averaged 6.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 25.4 minutes per game with the club. While he may not have produced big-time numbers as a Laker, he did produce one of its biggest moments ever.
Now on to the top three.
3. Lamar Odom
We all know how Lamar Odom's career spiraled after leaving Los Angeles. But that doesn't take away from the impact he left on the city and the Lakers franchise as a whole.
Odom spent seven seasons with the team and was a big part of the Lakers' two championships with Kobe Bryant. The 2011 Sixth Man of the Year produced nearly 13.7 points, 9.5, and 3.7 assists in 35.1 minutes per game over his seven seasons in Hollywood. While he came to the Lakers as a starter, he transitioned into more of a bench role over the years, including during the championships runs. However, Odom often closed games over Andrew Bynum.
What gives Odom the edge over Robert Horry is that he played a much bigger role for the team. He often played like an All-Star for the Lakers and arguably should have made the team at least once in his career.
Odom has now thankfully recovered from his recent turmoil. He made his basketball return last year, playing for Mighty Sports in the Philippines.
While the latter years of his career were a struggle, Lamar Odom will always be remembered as a Laker ahead of his time.
2. Byron Scott
Speaking of former Lakers who should have made an All-Star team, it's criminal that Byron Scott never made it once in his career either.
Scott spent 11 seasons in Los Angeles, boasting averages of 15.1 points and 3.0 rebounds on a solid 49.0% clip from the field and 37.3% from downtown. He was definitely an integral part of the Lakers club that won three titles in the '80s. He even had a breakout season during their championship run in 1988 when he averaged 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.
Byron Scott may not have had the best stint coaching the Lakers, but his time as a player sure left a mark on their franchise.
1. Derek Fisher
When you speak of unsung Lakers, you must speak the name of Derek Fisher.
D-Fish spent 12-plus seasons with the Purple and Gold. He was the benchmark of consistency and professionalism for the club every single year.
Fisher's stats were underwhelming, providing just 7.9 points and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 40.2% from the field. But the numbers clearly don't tell the whole story.
Fisher made countless big-time shots throughout numerous playoff runs. He even produced another magical moment in Lakers history, upstaging Tim Duncan during the 2004 playoffs:
We all saw from Michael Jordan's “The Last Dance” that even the greatest players of all time needed role players to come up big when needed. MJ got help from John Paxson during his first three-peat, then Steve Kerr during the next.
What makes Derek Fisher special is he played that role perfectly for the Lakers for two different eras. D-Fish won five titles with Los Angeles and made pivotal plays down the stretch for both the Kobe-Shaq years and the Kobe-Pau years.
0.4 seconds will live on forever.
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