| How did it all begin? The Lakers' name originates | | | | rebounding and passing. Unfortunately, the Lakers |
| from the years they played in Minneapolis, | | | | won a National Championship during the season |
| Minnesota. "Lakers" refers to the huge | | | | that Baylor retired (1971-1972). |
| cargo-hauling ships that traveled along the Great | | | | 2. Wilt Chamberlain - #13 (Center): 1968-1973 |
| Lakes. | | | | Arguably, Chamberlain's greatest achievement |
| When thinking about or discussing the Los Angeles | | | | was scoring 100 points against the New York |
| Lakers, one word comes to mind: "excellence." | | | | Knicks, during 1962. That is a NBA single game |
| Since joining the NBA in 1960, the Lakers have | | | | record. He also became famous for his battles |
| been the epitome of success. Their | | | | against Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. |
| accomplishments as a team include: | | | | 3. Gail Goodrich - #25 (Guard): 1965-1968, |
| - 44 playoff appearances | | | | 1970-1976 |
| - 24 division crowns | | | | Goodrich played on the 1971-1972 Lakers, which |
| - 27 Conference Finals appearances | | | | set an NBA record of 33 consecutive victories. In |
| - 23 NBA Finals appearances | | | | fact, Goodrich was the top scorer of that Lakers |
| - 9 NBA Championships | | | | team. |
| How did it all begin? The Lakers' name originates | | | | 4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - #33 (Center): |
| from the years they played in Minneapolis, | | | | 1975-1989 |
| Minnesota. "Lakers" refers to the huge | | | | Jabbar became renowned for his "skyhook" shot. |
| cargo-hauling ships that traveled along the Great | | | | He also became the NBA's top career scorer, at |
| Lakes. | | | | 38,387 points. Jabbar won three NBA titles with |
| Following 13 years in Minneapolis, the Lakers | | | | the Lakers. |
| became the first West Coast NBA team, when | | | | 5. Earvin "Magic" Johnson - #32 (Guard): |
| they moved to Los Angeles. Ironically, no lakes | | | | 1979-1991, 1995-1996 |
| exist in LA! Still, they kept the name. During their | | | | Magic Johnson fantastic passing skills epitomized |
| first season in the "City of Angels," the Lakers | | | | the razzle-dazzle of Los Angeles. His rivalry with |
| finished with a 36-43 record. They defeated the | | | | Larry Bird became legendary. Magic appeared in |
| Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, | | | | 12 All-Star games, and won five championships |
| but lost in the Western Conference Finals, to the | | | | with the Lakers. |
| St. Louis Hawks. It was a heartbreaking defeat, | | | | 6. Jerry West - #44 (Forward): 1960-1974 |
| as the Hawks beat them in Game 7, by a mere | | | | West played particularly well in the playoffs. In the |
| two points. | | | | 1965 NBA Finals, he scored an average of 46.3 |
| Throughout their long history, the Lakers have | | | | points each game. When he retired, West was |
| had several notable All-Stars on their team. The | | | | the NBA's third top career scorer (25,192 pts). |
| best-of-the-best include several players whose | | | | 7. James Worthy - #42 (Forward): 1982-1994 |
| jersey numbers they have retired: | | | | Ironically, Worthy disliked basketball as a child. |
| 1. Elgin Baylor - #22 (Forward): 1960-1971 | | | | However, he learned to love it and became an |
| During his professional basketball career, Baylor | | | | outstanding player as well. Worthy won three |
| averaged an amazing 27.4 points per game. In | | | | NBA championships with the Lakers, and became |
| addition to shooting, Baylor was also adept at | | | | a member of the basketball Hall of Fame. |