Current and former L.A. Times staff members selected the 75 greatest Lakers players as the club prepares for its diamond jubilee.
Magic, Kobe and Kareem were listed first, second or third on five of six ballots, with Jerry West a close fourth. The L.A. Times panelists discuss why.
L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke gives his take on the 75 greatest players in Lakers history.
When debating the greatest players in Lakers history, LeBron James is likely the most talented of them all, but only tied for seventh in an L.A. Times poll.
He’s still here. He still lives among us. He’s in our daily struggles. He’s in our personal triumphs. He’s in our last-second defensive stops or buzzer-beating shots or wherever we require that Mamba Mentality. Even amid a pandemic in which nobody is supposed to be anywhere, Kobe is everywhere.
His last name is printed on jerseys that have become the city’s unofficial uniform. His first name is in chants that suddenly break out among socially distanced friends. His face is on city murals that have become drive-by tourist attractions.
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Everything about Wilt Chamberlain was extraordinary, from his incredible scoring and rebounding records to his impact on the NBA.
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Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar received a tribute fitting for the NBA’s all-time scoring leader during his final regular-season game at the Forum.
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‘Never fear, Magic is here’: On May 16, 1980, with the Cap sidelined with an ankle injury, Magic Johnson launched a decade of Lakers ‘Showtime’ dominance.
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A look back at when Kobe Bryant jumped from high school basketball to the NBA, as written by L.A. Times columnist Helene Elliott.
Towering over his opponents, Minneapolis Lakers star George Mikan was one of the greatest scorers of his day.
Laker superstars of a bygone era, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor went their own ways, but their lives continue to intertwine.
