NBA Draft: All-LA Lakers Draft Steal Team
The Los Angeles Lakers have made many great selections during the NBA Draft throughout their storied history.
Gail Goodrich, Earvin Johnson and James Worthy are just a few of those players who have helped the Lakers win many championships throughout the last eight decades.
However, there have also been many players who have not been selected high by the Lakers during the draft but have made many great contribution to this team during their careers in Los Angeles.
For the sake of this article, none of these players were selected higher than 20th, and all of them have spent at least three full seasons with the Lakers.
Enjoy!
Honorable Mentions
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Elden Campbell- Selected with the 27th pick in the first round in 1990, throughout nine seasons with the Lakers, Campbell averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a center/power forward.
He was the Lakers' leading scorer throughout the entire 1990s.
Nick Van Exel- As the 10th selection in the second round in 1993, Van Exel averaged 14.9 and 7.3 assists per game. The starting point guard for the majority of the time throughout his tenure with Lakers, he made the All-Star team during the 1997-98 season.
Derek Fisher- Selected 24th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, Fisher has averaged 8.1 points and 2.9 assists during his tenure so far with the Lakers. He was a key part of five championship teams during the last decade.
Point Guard: Nom Nixon
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Drafted 22nd overall in the first round of the 1977 NBA draft, Nixon spent six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and contributed heavily to two of the NBA championships that they won during the '80s.
During the six seasons he spent with the team, Nixon averaged 16.4 points, 7.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
He helped turn the Lakers into one of the best offensive teams of all time. His scoring and passing abilities fit perfectly on a Lakers team that basically featured two All-Star point guard (he and Magic Johnson) during his tenure there.
Shooting Guard: Michael Cooper
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Michael Cooper was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers as the 16th overall pick in the third round, one year after Norm Nixon.
He spent his entire 12-year career with the Lakers, averaging 8.9 points, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game throughout that illustrious career.
An important part of five Lakers' championship teams, Cooper was a defensive specialist on a team which relied heavily on its offense to do most of its damage.
He was a member of eight NBA All-Defensive Teams, including five NBA All-Defensive First Teams. Most importantly, he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1987.
It's safe to say that without his defense, the Lakers probably wouldn't have won all five of those championships.
Small Forward: A.C. Green
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The NBA's version of the "Ultimate Ironman," Green was selected by the Lakers in the 1985 NBA draft with the 23rd selection of the first round.
As a member of the Lakers, he averaged 10.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game.
A two-time NBA champion and one-time All-Star, Green provided the Lakers with a lot of energy and aggressive play, in addition to scoring and rebounding the ball very well.
Power Forward: Rudy LaRusso
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With the fourth selection in the second round of the 1959 NBA draft, the Minneapolis Lakers selected Rudy LaRusso.
LaRusso averaged 14.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game during his eight seasons in Minneapolis and Los Angeles.
Regularly the second, third or fourth leading scorer for the team, LaRusso provided the Lakers with rebounds and a decent amount of points for a team on which scoring was hard to come by, due to the fact that Jerry West and Elgin Baylor were a part of it.
Center: Vlade Divac
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Divac was selected with the 26th pick of the the first round in the 1989 NBA draft.
During his seven seasons with the Lakers, not counting the last season of his career, he averaged 12.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.61 blocks per game.
Starting at center for the majority of his career as a member of the Lakers, Divac provided the team with scoring, rebounding and good defense. In addition, he was an excellent passer for a man his size.
Let's not forget that he brought in Kobe Bryant as well.
