Ranking the Greatest Los Angeles Lakers Since 2000
The history of the Los Angeles Lakers is loaded with Hall of Famers and more than a dozen championships, but the organization's last two decades have been complicated.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant spearheaded a spectacular era for the franchise, but the Lakers haven't featured an impressive depth of talent since the 2000-01 season.
Nevertheless, a small group of massive star power has guided the Lakers to four NBA titles during this time frame.
Although a player's career achievements are highlighted, only his contributions since 2000 affected the order of the list.
10. LeBron James
1 of 10
Career Marks (2003-Present): Four-time MVP, three-time Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive, 2003-04 Rookie of the Year, 2007-08 scoring champ, 27.2 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 34.3 3FG%, 27.6 player efficiency rating, .235 win shares per 48 minutes
After a single injury-shortened campaign, LeBron James already ranks 25th in total points for the Lakers since 2000. He earned the team's first All-NBA selection in six years.
Those facts offer a clear picture of the organization's shoddy depth for two decades.
Even if the pairing of James and Anthony Davis fails in the future, LeBron only needs one healthy season to climb a couple more spots.
9. Rick Fox
2 of 10
Career Marks (1991-2004): 9.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 34.9 3P%, 13.6 PER, .090 WS/48
The post-2000 time frame includes two titles of the Lakers three-peat, and it perfectly matches Rick Fox's best postseason contributions.
During the latter two championship runs, he started all 35 playoff games and averaged a combined 9.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals. Fox tallied 20 points, six rebounds and six assists in the title-clinching Game 5 of the 2001 NBA Finals.
Fox was never close to a superstar for Los Angeles, but he was a valuable piece of a hugely memorable stretch.
8. Robert Horry
3 of 10Career Marks (1992-2008): 7.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 34.1 3P%, 13.4 PER, .118 WS/48
Robert Horry garnered the nickname "Big Shot Bob" for his clutch shots in the postseason, and no bucket proved more valuable than his game-winning three in the 2002 Western Conference Finals.
Trailing the Sacramento Kings 2-1 in the series, the Lakers were down 99-97 in Game 4, but Horry connected on a buzzer-beating triple to save them. Rather than facing a 3-1 deficit, the Lakers headed to Sacramento at 2-2 and ended up winning the series in seven games.
Horry—who celebrated seven championships in his NBA career—averaged 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds during the 2002 playoffs, his highest postseason outputs with the Lakers.
7. Metta World Peace
4 of 10
Career Marks (1999-2017): 2003-04 Defensive Player of the Year, 2004 All-Star, 2004 All-NBA, four-time All-Defensive, 13.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.7 SPG, 33.9 3P%, 14.8 PER, .093 WS/48
Formerly known as Ron Artest, Metta World Peace spent six seasons in Los Angeles over two stints. His most successful run happened from 2009 to 2013 and included his only NBA title.
World Peace buried a pair of pivotal shots in the 2010 playoffs, hitting a buzzer-beater to defeat the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and a game-sealing trifecta to down the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Injuries led to his decline and departure, but the reliable defender and occasional scorer left a positive mark on the Lakers.
6. Andrew Bynum
5 of 10
Career Marks (2005-14): 2012 All-Star, 2012 All-NBA, 11.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 19.6 PER, .168 WS/48
Because of Andrew Bynum's sharp decline in effectiveness—and availability, for that matter—after getting traded in 2012, it's easy to forget how productive he was in Los Angeles.
From the 2007-08 season through 2011-12, the 7-footer notched 14.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Bynum averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks to garner second-team All-NBA recognition in 2012.
Bynum appeared in all 46 playoff games during the Lakers' back-to-back championship runs in 2009 and 2010.
5. Lamar Odom
6 of 10
Career Marks (1999-2013): 2011 Sixth Man of the Year, 13.3 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 31.2 3P%, 16.5 PER, .115 WS/48
Lamar Odom started 573 of his first 587 NBA games, but a role change coincided with the brightest moment of his career.
During 2008-09 and 2009-10, he only opened 75 of 206 regular-season and playoff games on the floor. Odom made a significant impact from his reserve spot, most notably averaging 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in the 2009 NBA Finals.
Following the two championships, Odom won Sixth Man of the Year in 2010-11 with 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
4. Derek Fisher
7 of 10
Career Marks (1996-2014): 8.3 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.1 RPG, 37.4 3P%, 11.7 PER, .091 WS/48
Longevity offers a valuable boost to Derek Fisher, the only member of the five championship teams other than Kobe Bryant.
Fisher never landed on an All-Star team, yet he was a steady contributor for 12-plus seasons in Los Angeles. Of the four title-winning squads that match the post-2000 criteria, he started 80 playoff games and averaged 10-plus points in three of those postseasons.
Sprinkle in a few clutch shots—particularly his legendary 0.4 heave and a pair of threes in Game 4 of the 2009 NBA Finals—and Fisher deserves a prominent spot in team history.
3. Pau Gasol
8 of 10
Career Marks (2001-Present): Six-time All-Star, Four-time All-NBA, 2001-02 Rookie of the Year, 17.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.6 BPG, 36.8 3P%, 21.4 PER, .169 WS/48
The third overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft, Pau Gasol broke into the league with the Memphis Grizzlies and quickly asserted himself as a force. But after six-plus seasons and a combined 0-12 playoff record, he headed to the Lakers in a 2008 trade.
It didn't take long for Gasol to find a new level of success.
In his first three full campaigns in Los Angeles, he made the All-Star team each season and won two championships. Gasol averaged better than 18 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks across the 2009 and 2010 NBA Finals.
Since 2000, Kobe Bryant is the only Lakers player who has recorded more points than Gasol's 7,610.
2. Shaquille O'Neal
9 of 10
Career Marks (1992-2011): 1999-2000 MVP, three-time Finals MVP, 15-time All-Star, 14-time All-NBA, three-time All-Defensive, 1992-93 Rookie of the Year, two-time scoring champ, 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.3 BPG, 26.4 PER, .208 WS/48
Only four of Shaquille O'Neal's eight seasons in Los Angeles count toward the list, but that's all the Big Aristotle needs to secure the No. 2 spot.
After winning Finals MVP in 2000, he repeated the accolade in both 2001 and 2002. Shaq obliterated the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets with a combined 34.4 points, 14.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.1 blocks per game during the latter two championships.
Seriously, that's absurd.
O'Neal added a pair of All-Star and first-team All-NBA honors before the Lakers traded him to the Miami Heat in July 2004.
1. Kobe Bryant
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Career Marks (1996-2016): 2007-08 MVP, two-time Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA, 12-time All-Defensive, two-time scoring champ, 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 22.9 PER, .170 WS/48
If this choice wasn't obvious enough, consider this: Since 2000, Kobe Bryant is the organization's only player who has scored more than 8,000 points. In that span, he piled up 29,403.
Perhaps most impressively, Kobe developed into a scoring machine while rarely showing efficiency as a long-range shooter. He managed a 35 percent clip just four times in his career. Nevertheless, the Black Mamba averaged 24-plus points 13 times.
Bryant was a perennial All-Star and fixture on All-NBA lists, though a few All-Defensive honors were a product of reputation than performance near the end of his career.
The two-time Finals MVP and five-time champion ended his career as one of the greatest players in NBA history.
Stats from Basketball Reference. Follow Bleacher Report NBA Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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