The Los Angeles Lakers are the most storied franchise in NBA history, achieving success at the highest level in virtually every decade of its existence. The Lakers have won 17 championships (five as the Minneapolis Lakers) and have 28 players in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. 13 Lakers have had their number retired by the organization.
Naturally, with all these great players, we have to rank them.
So here are the top-10 players in Lakers franchise history. Keep in mind, this isn't a list of the greatest NBA players to play for the Lakers, but an assessment of how each player contributed to the franchise during their time in the purple and gold. For example, Karl Malone is largely considered a top-20 player in NBA history, but his stretch in Los Angles was forgettable.
We'll skip the honorable mentions because there's too many, but I'll refer you to the list of Lakers Hall of Famers instead.
10. LeBron James
Again, if these were the greatest NBA players to have a stint with the Lakers, LeBron James would be No. 1 on the list, but it isn't. Still, LeBron's late-career stop with the Lakers has been excellent in its own right.
In five seasons in Los Angeles, LeBron is a 5x All-Star with five All-NBA selections. He led the league in assists in 2020 while leading the Lakers to a title. He was named the 2020 NBA Finals MVP and brought home the Lakers' 17th championship to tie the Boston Celtics for most in NBA history.
In his tenure as a Laker, LeBron has averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists on 51% shooting. He's consistently been a top-five player in the NBA, though he's well past his prime.
The 2020 championship was the Lakers' first since 2010, and LeBron's arrival in L.A. reestablished the franchise's relevance after some very dark post-Kobe Bryant seasons.
9. George Mikan
George Mikan would be higher on this list if not for the era in which he played, and the fact that he spent his career with the Minneapolis Lakers before the team moved to Los Angeles.
When you think about the Lakers, you think of Los Angeles. Even though Mikan contributed five of the franchises' 17 claimed NBA titles, his impact on the organization just isn't felt the same way as the others on this list.
Mikan's first championship was technically the Basketball Association of America (BAA) championship right before that league absorbed the National Basketball League (NBL) and the whole thing became the NBA in 1949.
Anyways, Mikan only played seven seasons of BAA/NBA basketball, but he was a 4x All-Star (1953 ASG MVP) and a 3x scoring champion. He averaged 23 points and 13 rebounds for his career.
8. Elgin Baylor
The Minneapolis Lakers selected Elgin Baylor with the first overall pick in the 1958 NBA draft, and he won the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Baylor went on to play 14 seasons for the team, making 11 All-Star appearances and winning the All-Star Game MVP award in 1959.
He made 10 All-NBA First Team selections and made it to the NBA Finals eight times, but he never captured that elusive NBA championship. He was a part of the Lakers team that won the 1972 NBA Finals, but he retired early in the season, so he wasn't actually on the roster when the team won it all. The Lakers awarded Baylor with a championship ring, but he's the only Laker on this list to not actually win a title.
Baylor was a revolutionary player, demonstrating explosiveness and a vertical play style from the small forward position that just hadn't been seen in basketball before. He inspired the likes of Julius Erving and Michael Jordan after him.
7. Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain's Lakers' stint was somewhat comparable to LeBron James'. He played five seasons in Los Angeles in the twilight of his career and won one NBA championship in 1972. However, he did make three other Finals appearances alongside Jerry West, which gives him the edge over LeBron.
In those five seasons, Chamberlain was a 4x All-Star and 1x All-NBA selection. He made his only two career All-Defensive teams with the Lakers and led the league in rebounding four times.
As a Laker, Chamberlain averaged 18 points and 19 rebounds, and he helped West finally get over the mountain top and win his only championship.
6. James Worthy
James Worthy was a critical part of the Showtime Lakers in the 80s and is probably unfairly overlooked. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 draft and made seven All-Star appearances in his 12-year career.
When most people think of the Showtime Lakers, it's all Magic and Kareem, but Worthy was also very important to the Lakers' success in the 80s, particularly as Kareem was getting older.
He won three championships with the Lakers and won the NBA Finals MVP award in 1988. On the Lakers' title runs in 1987 and 1988, he led the entire team in postseason scoring.
Worthy ranks sixth in franchise history in points and third in steals, but Big Game James will always be remembered for his clutch performances. Worthy played in four Game 7s in his career and showed up in all of them. Across those four winner-take-all games, he averaged 27 points and 8 rebounds on 60% shooting.
5. Shaquille O'Neal
During Shaq's stint with the Lakers, he became the most dominant individual force the sport has ever seen. There will never be another prime Shaq.
Shaq spent eight seasons with the Lakers and won three NBA championships with Kobe Bryant. No team has pulled off the elusive three-peat since then. He won the NBA Finals MVP award for all three titles, and he also won the 2000 NBA MVP and scoring title at the height of the Lakers' dominance.
He and Kobe were an unstoppable duo, and Shaq was the better player. Had his time in Los Angeles lasted longer, it could have been the greatest dynasty in sports history, and Shaq may easily have landed higher on this list.
He made eight All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams as a Laker and solidified himself as one of the NBA's all-time greats during that time.
4. Jerry West
Jerry West is the most important person in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers. He only won one championship as a player in 1972, but he was the architect of the Showtime Lakers and the Shaq/Kobe dynasty. After his retirement, West won six more championships with the Lakers as an executive. He was the one who traded for Kobe Bryant on draft night and signed Shaq in free agency.
As a player, however, West made 14 All-Star appearances in his 14 seasons, and 12 All-NBA teams. He became the only player to win the NBA Finals MVP award as a member of the losing team for his performance against the Celtics in the 1969 Finals. He averaged nearly 38 points per game in that series, but the Lakers lost in 7 games. West didn't have great luck in the Finals, as he made it there nine times and only won once.
West averaged 27 points per game in his career, and he's also one of just seven players in NBA history to lead the league in scoring and assists (not in the same season) in his career.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spent 14 years of his career with the Lakers and captured five of his six NBA championships in the purple and gold. He was selected to 13 All-Star Games, 10 All-NBA teams, and seven All-Defensive teams. He won three of his record six NBA MVP awards as a Laker.
Kareem was the foundation of the Showtime Lakers, coming to Los Angeles with a ring he won with the Milwaukee Bucks, three MVP awards and the title of the league's best player.
It wasn't until the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson, however, that they became an elite force that would perennially contend for championships.
Kareem is among the most decorated NBA players of all-time, with a trophy case to rival anyone's. He became the NBA's all-time leading scorer as a Laker in 1984. That record stood for 39 years, until LeBron James broke it in February.
Kareem is without a doubt a top-three Laker, and you could make a strong argument to put him at first. However, out of the Magic/Kareem dynasty, Magic Johnson slightly edges out Kareem.
2. Magic Johnson
Earvin “Magic” Johnson is the most iconic player in Lakers' history. His legendary rivalry with Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics revived the NBA and laid the groundwork for the league to become what it is today. Magic became synonymous with the city of Los Angeles and redefined individual superstardom in American sports.
The reason he makes it above Kareem on this list is that Magic was the best player on the Lakers and the best player in the NBA for most of the dynasty. He's the bigger name of the Showtime duo. It was Magic vs. Bird, not Kareem vs. Bird and not even the Lakers vs. the Celtics.
Los Angeles won the championship in Magic's rookie season, the first of five that this incredible duo would win. Kareem sprained his ankle in Game 5 of the 1980 Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, and the 6-foot-9 point guard stepped in to play center in Game 6. Magic dropped 42 points, 15 rebounds and 7 assists to bring home the championship and win the NBA Finals MVP award. He's still the only rookie to ever earn the award.
Magic is widely considered the greatest point guard ever, and he spent his entire 13-year career with the Lakers. He was a 5x champion, 3x Finals MVP, 3x league MVP, 12x All-Star, 2x ASG MVP, 4x NBA assists leader, 2x steals leader and a 10x All-NBA player.
He has the second-most career assists in NBA history and the most in franchise history. Had Magic's career lasted longer, his standing in the record books would be much more impressive.
1. Kobe Bryant
Finally, the greatest Los Angeles Laker is none other than the late Kobe Bryant. Kobe's resume is ridiculous: 20 seasons, 18 All-Star selections, 15 All-NBA teams, 12 All-Defensive teams, the 2008 MVP award, two scoring titles, four ASG MVPs and the fourth-most points in NBA history. All of it with the Lakers.
Kobe also ranks first in the Lakers record books in games, minutes, points, field goals made, three-pointers made, and steals. Kobe was the ultimate competitor and dominated the game in all facets.
Most importantly, however, Kobe added five championship banners to the Staples Center in Los Angeles. He won three playing alongside Shaq in the early stages of his career. After Shaq left the team, Kobe became a scoring machine. From 2004-2008, he averaged nearly 31 points per game, but the team wasn't winning.
Finally, Kobe made it back to the top in 2009, winning his fourth championship and first Finals MVP award. The Lakers repeated the following year, defeating the Celtics in 7 games, immortalizing Kobe amongst the all-time greats.
Due to unstable roster construction and a slew of injuries, Kobe and the Lakers declined in the years that would follow until 2016, when Kobe shot just 35% from the floor in his final NBA season. He went out on top, however, dropping 60 points in his last NBA game, the perfect sendoff for one of the game's finest.
Kobe also had a highly successful post-basketball career as a businessman, a writer, an Oscar-winning filmmaker and a dad, until his tragic death in 2020.
He was the greatest Laker ever and the greatest competitor the sport has ever seen, but above all, Kobe was a winner. Basketball was the outlet for his greatness, but he would've been great at whatever he chose as his passion.
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