20 greatest sports figures in L.A. history

Vin Scully is the greatest baseball broadcaster who ever lived. What else needs to be said? Even during a Dodgers season that was overshadowed by the Frank and Jamie McCourt news, you knew that it would all melt away when you turned on the TV and heard Scully’s voice.

Continue reading on The Fabulous Forum.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

In 27 years as Bruin coach, his teams registered 620 wins and only 147 losses while earning far more national honors than any other university.

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Former Lakers star player and general manager Jerry West said he believes the Lakers will make the playoffs this year, though his comments came before Pau Gasol went down with a foot injury Tuesday night.  (Vernon Biever / Getty Images)

It was the spoken word that made Chick Hearn such a part of Lakers history. He was the team’s only broadcaster in Los Angeles until his death at age 85 in 2002. When the team moved from Minneapolis in 1960, he was instrumental in introducing professional basketball to Southern California sports fans.

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Arguably the greatest player of his generation, Kobe Bryant has played a leading role in helping the Lakers carry their winning tradition into the 21st century. Regarded as a fierce competitor who is capable of excelling both offensively and defensively, Bryant transformed from high school phenomenon to NBA superstar and helped lead the purple and gold to five NBA titles.

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Few figures in L.A. sports history have been this much larger than life. You either love or love to hate former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, but it’s almost guaranteed that everyone has some sort of opinion.

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One of the greatest and most exciting players in NBA history, Baylor was a human highlight reel who became the first star basketball player to compete in Los Angeles. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound forward displayed a combination of size and grace like no other player before him, averaging 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game over his 14-year career.

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Jim Murray was the master of the written word in a golden era of Los Angeles media that included the greatness of the spoken word from the likes of Vin Scully, Chick Hearn and Bob Miller. They each had a sport to describe. Murray had the universe.

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