With 17 NBA championship banners and one NBA Cup title in their rafters, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most decorated franchises in NBA history, even going back to their days in Minneapolis. Throughout the years, the franchise has been successful in luring in some of the biggest stars.

With a surplus of superstardom, it's easy to see why championship expectations are always high. Couple that with the franchise's enormous market, it's easy to see why eyes are often on the Lakers. Here are the 10 best Lakers duos in franchise history, ranked.

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10. LeBron James and Luka Doncic

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leave a court after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
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The verdict is still out for the duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The team-up of James and Doncic is already one of the best, at least on paper. In fact, it was easy to see why the Lakers threw the world into a frenzy when they successfully brought Doncic to Los Angeles. He is another generational talent who will lead the Purple and Gold for now and the future. Both superstars may have failed to go deep into the postseason this year, but with their superstardom, a championship is always within reach.

9. Cedric Ceballos and Nick Van Exel

Phoenix Suns announcer Cedric Ceballos against the Chicago Bulls at the US Airways Center. The Bulls defeated the Suns 123-115 in double overtime.
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After the era of the Showtime Lakers, the Purple and Gold weren't exactly championship contenders. However, what kept the team competitive was the duo of All-Stars Cedric Ceballos and Nick Van Exel. Although this duo hardly reeled in playoff success, they did inject plenty of excitement and kept the Lakers afloat when the expectations were quite low.

8. Jerry West and Elgin Baylor

New York Knicks forward Dave Stallworth (9) is defended by Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West (44) and forward Elgin Baylor (22) during the 1970 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
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It's a shame that injuries started to linger in Elgin Baylor's decorated NBA career. In fact, not only did injuries end Baylor's career, but it pretty much denied him an NBA title. Nonetheless, both Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were franchise superstars for the Purple and Gold. The dominant duo was effective enough to take the franchise to multiple Finals appearances. Unfortunately, the duo was never able to win a chip together.

7. Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom

Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom (left) talks with guard Kobe Bryant against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. The Lakers defeated the Suns 99-95.
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When Shaquille O'Neal left for the Miami Heat, the Lakers were forced to settle for the duo of Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom. It wasn't the most powerful duo on paper, but the lack of supporting cast surrounding them pretty much allowed Bryant to transform into an NBA MVP. While there wasn't much team success, the Black Mamba did drop 81 points and win an NBA MVP. And on the bright side, the duo remained intact long enough to win two NBA titles after Pau Gasol's arrival.

6. LeBron James and Anthony Davis

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) dribbles the ball next to forward LeBron James (23) against the Sacramento Kings in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center.
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LeBron James and Anthony Davis were crucial in bringing in the franchise's 17th championship banner. While there were plenty of doubts, both James and Davis carried the Purple and Gold inside the 2020 NBA Bubble to win a championship, ending a decade-long drought. Furthermore, the duo added more hardware when they led Los Angeles to an NBA Cup title.

5. Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain

Los Angeles Lakers guard (44) Jerry West comes off screen set by center (13) Wilt Chamberlain against the Cincinnati Royals at the Cincinnati Gardens.
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The arrival of Wilt Chamberlain in Los Angeles marked another spectacular superstar moment to a franchise that's already been graced by plenty of superstars. Furthermore, relatively fresh from an MVP season, his addition was the missing piece to Jerry West's title pursuit. West and Chamberlain led the Lakers to a 69-win season before finally ending the championship jinx.

4. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol

Los Angeles Lakers power forward Pau Gasol (16) looks on as shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) passes the ball by Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler (6) in the 4th quarter of game one of the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs at the Staples Center. Mavericks won 96-94.
Jayne Kamin-USA TODAY Sports

Life after Shaquille O'Neal was a test of patience for Kobe Bryant and the Purple and Gold. However, the arrival of Pau Gasol finally brought a glimmer of hope. The Spanish big man perfectly fitted alongside Bryant leading to three straight Finals appearances and back-to-back NBA championships.

3. George Mikan and Jim Pollard

The retired jerseys of Los Angeles Lakers players Jamaal Wilkes (52), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Shaquille O'Neal (34), Jerry West (44), Magic Johnson (32), James Worthy (42), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33), Kobe Bryant (8 and 24) and Chick Hearn and the names of Minneapolis Lakers Hall of Fame players Vern Mikkelsen, George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, John Kundla and Clyde Lovellette on display at Staples Center.
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The Minneapolis Lakers were the first ever dynasty in NBA history. Thanks to the dominance of Georgi Mikan to go along with the support of Jim Pollard, the Lakers captured five NBA championships. Back in the day, Mikan was nearly an unstoppable force in the paint, laying down the foundation of a decorated franchise.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson

NBA players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Irvin "Magic" Johnson on stage during the ceremony unveiling the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar statue in front of the Staples Center.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Showtime era was one of the brightest moments in Lakers history. A huge part of that was thanks to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. The duo brought home five NBA titles together, pretty much dominating the league in the 80s.

During that run, Johnson basically wasted no time, becoming the first ever NBA Rookie of the Year winner to be crowned Finals MVP in the same year. On the other hand, Kareem would also make history of his own by becoming the league's All-Time leading scorer at one point.

1. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant

NBA commissioner David Stern hands Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson (left), Shaquille O'Neal (center) and Kobe Bryant (right) their championship trophy at the end of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at The Meadowlands.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The most dominant duo not only in Lakers history, but also in NBA history, was Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Shaq was an unstoppable force down low, while Bryant was the perfect second-fiddle scorer that allowed the Lakers to get away with a relatively shallow roster. In fact, their dominance took Los Angeles to a three-peat, the first since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Since then, no team has ever replicated their feat.