Van Exel showed promise the minute he stepped onto the court wearing purple and gold. His playing style can only be described in one word: flashy. Everything the high-flying guard did on the court had an exclamation point at the end of it. He formed a dynamic backcourt with Eddie Jones. Both gave L.A. fans a highlight reel every night. Unfortunately, Van Exel was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 1998.

Jim Pollard (5,762)

Pollard played in seven NBA seasons (1947-55). He made the most of them. Pollard won five championships and went to four All-Star games. He’s one of the better players from his era.

Wilt Chamberlain (5,985)

Chamberlain was already one of the greats before joining the Lakers. He won a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers a few years prior. A statistical marvel, Chamberlain had career averages of 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. NBA hasn’t seen someone fill a stat quite like him. Chamberlain, Jerry West, and the rest of the 1972 Lakers put together a great season and won the NBA title. He played one more season and then retired for good.

Happy Hairston (5,993)

Hairston was a role player on the Lakers team that won the 1972 championship. He joined the team in 1969 and stayed until his retirement in 1975. He never averaged less than 10 points per game with the Lakers.

Elden Campbell (6,408)

Campbell was arguably the Lakers’ best player during the mid-’90s. In his rookie year, the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls. Campbell spent nine seasons with the Lakers before bouncing around the league. He won his first and only championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Vlade Divac (6,531)

Unfortunately for him, Divac joined the Lakers toward the end of Showtime. Divac basically played like a prototypical center: he could grab rebounds and score points in the paint. With each passing year, his numbers improved in L.A. However, Divac hit the prime of his career with the Sacramento Kings in the early 2000s.

LeBron James (6,951)

LeBron James has basically won every award there is to win and broken every record there is to break. He’s on pace to break another record and retire as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Since signing with the Lakers in 2018, LeBron has had an up-and-down tenure. His time in L.A. peaked when he won the NBA Finals in the 2020 NBA Bubble.

Lamar Odom (7,092)

After stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat, Odom signed with the Lakers and become their sixth man. He was capable of guarding every position on the court thanks to his athleticism. He played a vital role in the Lakers winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Odom’s effort was recognized when he won Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.

Derek Fisher (7,223)

 

The ultimate role player, Fisher won five championships during the Kobe Bryant era. While his stats never jumped off the page, he was a phenomenal leader and a winner. The 0.4-second shot was as clutch as it gets.

Pau Gasol (7,610)

Gasol played the first seven seasons of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies before coming to the bright lights of L.A. He was Kobe Bryant’s sidekick during back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Like most big men, Gasol was a post-up powerhouse and a tenacious rebounder. He was a six-time All-Star, including three with the Lakers.

Michael Cooper (7,729)

The Lakers have been known as an offensive-oriented team since the ’80s. Yet, Cooper challenged that assumption every time he stepped onto the court. He was the defensive ace of the Showtime Lakers. He was a great perimeter defender, and he could guard the other team’s best player on a nightly basis. The lockdown defender won Defensive Player of the Year in 1987. All told, Cooper won five championships with the Lakers.

A.C. Green (7,789)

Green spent nine seasons with the Lakers, winning two championships during the ’80s. He was a solid scoring threat and a team player who knew his role within the offense. Surprisingly, he won another ring with the Shaq-Kobe Lakers. In 2001, Green retired at 37 years old with the Miami Heat. Green played in 1,192 consecutive games, an NBA record.

Norm Nixon (7,938)

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Nixon was around during the beginning of the Showtime Lakers, winning the NBA championship in 1980 and 1982. He put up good numbers and complemented Magic as the team’s second-best point guard. He was a facilitator in several great offenses. Still, Nixon scored enough to round out the top 15.

Rudy LaRusso (8,231

LaRusso was a walking double-double with the Lakers. A five-time All-Star, his tenacious defense and rebounding ability gave him a key role. LaRusso and the Lakers went to the finals four times. They lost on each occasion.

12. Vern Mikkelsen (10,063)

Mikkelsen teamed up with Mikan to become a dynasty in the ’50s. The six-time All-Star only missed five games during his career. Mikkelsen was known around the league as a lockdown defender.

George Mikan (10,156)

Mikan was the original great Laker. He was the one to start it all. Mikan won five championships, three scoring titles, and four All-Stars in just seven seasons. Mikan was a dominant player in his era, with averages of 23.1, 13.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. Mr. Basketball is now in the Hall of Fame.

Jamaal Wilkes (10,601)

Wilkes spent eight years of his career with the Lakers. He was a scoring machine for the Lakers. He had three seasons with 20 points or more with the team. He won four championships (three with the Lakers and one with the Warriors). Wilkes is a Hall of Famer.

Byron Scott (12,780)

Scott spent 11 seasons with the Lakers. A vital role player on the Showtime Lakers, Scott won three championships. An exceptional shooter, he was a walking green light from behind the three-point line. Scott took up coaching after his career and found success. He coached the New Jersey Nets to back-to-back NBA Finals in the early 2000s.

Gail Goodrich (13,044)

A champion with the Lakers in 1972, Goodrich was a scoring guard who averaged more than 20 points per game on a consistent basis for the Lakers. The five-time All-Star might be an underrated Laker, but he’s still a good one. Once his time in sunny Los Angeles was up, Goodrich finished his career with the then-New Orleans Jazz.

Shaquille O’Neal (13,895)

One of the greatest centers of all time, Shaq played on six teams during his NBA career. But his prime was spent with the Lakers. Shaq went on a three-peat with the Lakers alongside NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Overall, Shaq won Rookie of the Year, was a two-time scoring champion and was a four-time NBA champion.

James Worthy (16,320)

If Worthy did one thing, it was score. He’s another star player from the Showtime Lakers. He saved his best for the playoffs. His clutch play in the game’s biggest moments earned him the nickname “Big Game James.” He put his clutch gene to the test when he won Finals MVP in 1988. Worthy was a seven-time All-Star, a three-time champion, and a member of the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame.

Magic Johnson (17,707)

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Magic Johnson was known for his passing, not scoring. Yet, he scored enough points to earn a top-five spot on this list. Magic was the leader of the Showtime Lakers. Standing at 6-foot-9, Magic was a tough point guard to defend because he was so tall and athletic. Johnson won five championships and three MVPs and led the league in assists four times. His rivalry with Larry Bird and the Celtics was legendary and helped save the NBA.

Elgin Baylor (23,149)

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One of the best small forwards of his time, Baylor started his career by winning Rookie of the Year and never looked back. An 11-time All-Star, Baylor was willing to do whatever it took to win. Despite going to the Finals seven times during his career, they went winless each time. For whatever reason, they couldn’t win the big game. Baylor retired toward the beginning of the 1971-72 season. The Lakers won the NBA championship with Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain a few months later.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24,176)

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was the starting center for the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s. He won six championships and six MVPs throughout his career. His skyhook shot was poetry in motion. No one knew how to stop it. Or any of his post-moves, for that matter.

Jerry West (25,192)

The logo himself. West was a versatile scorer in his time. He played his whole career with the Lakers. Despite losing the 1969 Finals, West was still named Finals MVP, becoming the only member of the losing team to win this award. West finally got his ring in 1972.

Kobe Bryant (33,643)

The late Kobe Bryant needs no introduction. He’s the greatest Laker of all time. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, tied for third all-time in most seasons played. During this time, he won five championships and two scoring titles and earned 18 All-Star selections. From the Shaq and Kobe three-peat to the Black Mamba era, all Kobe did was win. His record as the all-time leading scorer of the Lakers may never be broken.

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