Top 25 Players in Los Angeles Lakers History: Where Does Kobe Bryant Rank?
Kobe Bryant has won five NBA Finals as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
But, where does he fit in with the all-time greats in the team's long history.
From their days in Minneapolis (yes, I'm including the Minneapolis players in this slideshow) to the present team in Los Angeles, the Lakers have 17 NBA Championships, tied with the Boston Celtics for the most in the history of the league.
With all those banners in the Staples Center rafters, there are a lot of players who deserve recognition on this list.
Here are the top 25 players in the history of the Lakers, from recent greats to players who helped the Lakers to their first few championships back in Minneapolis.
25. Clyde Lovellette
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Clyde Lovellette led the Minneapolis Lakers to a championship in 1954.
Lovellette was also one of the first big men to utilize an outside shot. That forced opponents to defend him outside the lane, revolutionizing the game of basketball.
That alone deserves a spot on this list.
24. A.C. Green
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A.C. Green was a member of three championship teams during his years with the Lakers.
He also holds the record for most consecutive games played in the NBA. His mark stands at an astounding 1,192 games in a row.
23. Vlade Divac
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Vlade Divac's biggest contribution to the Lakers was getting traded.
Back in 1996, Divac was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for the rights to their first-round pick.
That pick turned into Kobe Bryant.
Divac also paved the way for foreign players in the NBA and was one of the best floppers of all time.
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22. Slater Martin
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Slater Martin played for four Minneapolis Lakers' championship teams.
Those teams were led by George Mikan, but Martin was a defensive force from the guard position.
He also made seven all-star teams.
21. Lamar Odom
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Lamar Odom has been the James Worthy to Kobe Bryant's Magic Johnson and Pau Gasol's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the past two Laker championships.
Odom is a mismatch for any opponent, as he can play anywhere from small forward to center.
When Andrew Bynum gets healthy, Odom will come off the bench, a role in which he proved to be very effective the past two seasons.
20. Mychal Thompson
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Mychal Thompson was arguably a part of one of the greatest lineups in basketball history.
The Lakers' lineup in 1987 and 1988 featured Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Mychal Thompson.
This group led the Lakers to back-to-back championships. Thompson was a key fourth man to the big three.
19. Rick Fox
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Rick Fox was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers three-peat from 2000-2002.
He was a key player that made big shots when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal were off the court or double-teamed.
And yes, he does have his arm around Eliza Dushku in this picture. Bonus points for Fox.
18. Michael Cooper
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Michael Cooper has a very impressive resume.
He is a five-time NBA champion, all with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was the defensive player of the year in 1987.
He was a five-time, first team all-defense member and three-time member of the second team.
Also, Larry Bird called Cooper the toughest defender he ever faced. I'll take his word for it.
17. Byron Scott
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Byron Scott was a point guard for the "Showtime" era Lakers.
He was a member of three NBA championship teams and started alongside Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and James Worthy.
He also led the 1987-88 Lakers' championship team in scoring, a pretty impressive feat with all the star power that team featured.
16. Robert Horry
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No one will ever forget Big Shot Rob Horry.
No one in Laker history has ever been as big as Horry was in clutch situations.
Horry hit at least five big playoff shots in a Laker uniform. Perhaps his most famous shot came against the Sacramento Kings. After a missed layup by Shaq with the Lakers down two in the final seconds of the game, Horry gathered the rebound and launched a three that found the bottom of the net, giving the Lakers the victory.
In addition to his three championships with the Lakers, Horry won two rings with the Rockets and two with the Spurs. That's one more championship than Michael Jordan for those keeping track at home.
15. Vern Mikkelsen
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Vern Mikkelsen was part of a Minneapolis Lakers' frontcourt tandem with George Mikan that won five straight championships, a feat exceeded only by Red Auerbach's Boston Celtics' teams of the 1960s.
Mikkelsen holds the career record for disqualifications from games with 127.
His smothering defense also led to him leading the league in fouls for three years.
14. Derek Fisher
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Kobe Bryant can't win an NBA Championship without Derek Fisher.
Fisher has proven himself a valuable sidekick to Kobe for all five of the Lakers' championships from 2000-2010.
Though he's playing a diminished role this season, don't sleep on him come playoff time.
13. Pau Gasol
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When the Lakers stole Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008, it changed the course of Laker history.
Kobe Bryant had been frustrated because he had to carry the offensive load for his team every single night.
But, Pau gave him a viable scoring threat down low, something he hadn't had since Shaq. The rest is history, with the Lakers winning two of the last three championships and looking strong again this year.
12. Jamaal Wilkes
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"Smooth as Silk" Wilkes was a four-time champion with the Lakers.
He was also the Rookie of the Year award winner in 1975 and made three NBA All-Star teams.
For his career, Wilkes averaged 17.7 points per game.
11. Bob McAdoo
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Every championship team needs a good sixth man.
That's exactly what Bob McAdoo was for the Showtime Lakers. Though his best years were spent in other uniforms, McAdoo was exactly what the Lakers needed for their 1982 and 1985 championship runs.
He also was one of the pioneers of the mid-range jump shot for big guys.
10. Gail Goodrich
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Goodrich ranks among the all-time greats in terms of stats. He also won one championship with the team, back in 1972.
He ranks sixth in Lakers' history with 13,044 points and seventh in assists with 2,863.
He also made four all-star teams while wearing a Los Angeles uniform.
9. Shaquille O'Neal
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Shaq and Kobe formed one of the most dynamic duos in NBA history before Shaq was run out of town.
But, what many people forget is that Shaq was actually more valuable than Kobe during the three-peat years.
It was Shaq and not Kobe who was the Finals MVP for the 2000-2002 championship teams.
It was also Shaq who was the defensive force in the paint, shutting down opposing centers in the Lakers' playoff series.
Kobe played a huge part too, but it's pretty arguable as to who was more important.
8. Wilt Chamberlain
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Wilt Chamberlain is definitely in the top five best players ever to play in the NBA.
But, his contributions as a Laker only warrant the eighth spot on this list.
He did, however, lead the team to their 1972 NBA Finals victory, earning Finals MVP honors. He was also the NBA rebounding champion that year.
7. George Mikan
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George Mikan was the original face of the Lakers franchise.
He and his teammates won seven championships between the NBL, the BAA and the NBA.
He was one of the first players inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and finished his career with just over 10,000 points.
6. James Worthy
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James Worthy won three championships alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Byron Scott.
Oftentimes during that stretch, Worthy was the one to take over key playoff games.
Worthy was one of the best clutch performers in NBA history and an indispensable member of the Showtime era teams.
5. Elgin Baylor
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Elgin Baylor made 11 All-Star teams, he was on the All-NBA first team 10 times and was the Rookie of the Year in 1959.
He had over 23,000 points and over 11,000 rebounds in his illustrious career.
But, he never won an NBA Championship.
However, his accomplishments still warrant the fifth spot on this list of Laker greats.
4. Jerry West
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"The Logo" won just one championship in his time with L.A., but he was one of the greatest players in NBA history.
He compiled over 25,000 points, over 5,000 rebounds and over 6,000 assists, all while wearing a Laker uniform.
It's hard to argue that West wasn't one of the most popular Lakers ever.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points to his name.
He also won six NBA championships, five of them with the Lakers.
He was an invaluable sidekick to Magic Johnson later in his career, winning three championships in his last five years in the NBA.
2. Kobe Bryant
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Kobe Bryant has won five NBA championships with the Lakers and counting.
When it's all said and done, Kobe has a great shot at setting several Laker records.
His leadership can't be quantified, and he can take over games the way no one can since Michael Jordan.
And, most importantly, with the way the team looks now, he has a chance to win rings No. 6 and No. 7 possibly.
If that happens, there would be no question he is the best player in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers.
1. Magic Johnson
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The 12-time all star, three-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA Finals MVP is still unquestionably the best player in Laker history.
Magic Johnson ran one of the best teams in NBA history. He always made the players around him better and managed to extend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career by a couple years by making it so easy for him to score.
No one played the game with as much flash and as much heart as Magic, who finished his career with 17,707 points, 6,559 rebounds and 10,141 assists.
He also won five rings in his time with the team, by far his most important accomplishment. He returned the Lakers to prominence after several down years.
No one will ever play the game the way Magic played it, and for that, he is the best player in Laker history.
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