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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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.
