G- Ervin “Magic” Johnson: 1979-1991, 1996
It goes without saying that Ervin “Magic” Johnson is not only one of the greatest Lakers of all-time, but also one of the greatest NBA players of all-time. He played 12 full seasons, reaching the NBA finals nine times, winning five of them. He was a 12-time All-Star, a member of 10 All-NBA Teams (9x First Team, 1x Second Team), and was the league MVP three times.
Magic was not only the face of the Lakers, but also the face of the entire NBA. When you thought about basketball, you thought about Magic. From his iconic game seven performance in the 1980 NBA finals, to his magnificent All-Star Game MVP in 1992, Johnson was performer throughout his entire career.
He led the NBA in assists three times,
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Although the Baylor never won a championship, his teams were still extremely successful, winning the second most games during the span of his career. At the time of his retirement, he held the Lakers single game record for points scored, scoring 71 on November 15, 1960 against the New York Knicks.
F- James Worthy: 1982-1994
Worthy was never the Lakers’ best player, but he was still among the most impactful players in franchise history. He was the perfect compliment to play alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Worthy was a seven-time All-Star, a member two All-NBA Third Teams, and won the 1988 NBA Finals MVP. During the 1988 finals, Worthy averaged 22 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, but what was most impressive was his game seven performance. In that game seven, Worthy erupted for 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. At the time it was just the second time in NBA history that a player recorded a triple-double in a game seven of the NBA finals.
In his 12 seasons, the Lakers made nine playoff appearances, winning three championships. Worthy finished his career with averages of 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per
Kevin Garnett is also in his 20th season, ironically both Garnett and Bryant played alongside their current coaches, Sam Mitchell and Byron Scott. In a tale of two halves, the Lakers came out on fire in the first half outscoring the T-Wolves 61-51; then the tables were turned in the second half, and the purple and gold outscored by the same exact point total.
G- Reggie Miller: 1987-2005 From his first game in 1987 to his final game in 2005, Reggie Miller was the face of the Indiana Pacers. His gritty on court demeanor and “never give up” mentality perfectly symbolized the toughness and resilience of the Pacers’ teams he was apart of. He’s the team’s all-time leader in games played, minutes played, points scored, three point field goals made, free throws made, assists, and steals. During his time in Indiana, Miller established himself as one of the deadliest three point shooters of all-time.
West, of course, is a Hall of Famer and former Finals MVP with the Lakers who was instrumental in the early era of the league’s growth
G- Jason Kidd: 2001-2008 From 2001 until his departure in 2008, Jason Kidd was the face of the New Jersey Nets’ franchise. Not only was he the team’s best player but he was also among the best point guards in the entire NBA. During his time in New Jersey, Kidd developed into a much more complete player, emerging as one of the best three-point shooters in the league.
Kobe ended up leading his team into the playoffs with historic numbers, but this time he actually won the national championship. The next year he again produced record breaking numbers, and again he lead his team to a consecutive championship. In 2003 Kobe won yet another championship, by know Kobe as known as a dominant force in the NBA, and a leader of his team. That year he received an all star awards, and many other rewards. Kobe was in his early twenties, but that didn’t stop him from winning three consecutive championships.
The career of former NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson had many ups and down's that were bigger than his early 1990's match ups with the New York Knicks. Kenny Anderson is still considered by many as the greatest home grown point guard to ever come out of New York City. His list of accomplishments as a teenager are legendary garnering every major accolade while playing high school basketball at Archbishop Molloy High School and eventually excelling in his two year run at Georgia Tech University. The Lefrak City, Queens native was selected number two overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the New Jersey Nets bringing him close to home to start his professional career. Anderson shined early in his career eventually earning a spot on the 1994 NBA Eastern
He played for the Philadelphia Warriors, then the San Fransisco Warriors, and he ended his career with the Los Angeles Lakers (“Wilt Chamberlain”). Overall Chamberlain was one of the best basketball players to ever live. He left a great mark on 1960s basketball and broke many records during that time. Next, Bill Russel played for the Celtics his whole career and won 11 NBA titles in all the years he played. Russel’s contribution to the Celtics was immediate.
Being the one who did the most when it mattered the most qualifies you as the best. Combined with the fact that he won all six of the times he appeared in the NBA Finals,
Jordan has another amazing record when he scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986. Jordan’s success in the finals and post-season was an amazing feat that’ll probably never come close to being accomplished ever again (Zachmo Marsupalami.) When focusing on the post season performances between the two
In June of 2006 Lebron was awarded with the Community Assist Award (Nagelhout 35). In 2007, in the Cavs first NBA Finals appearance ever, they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs (Nagelhout 36). But the positive about this is, later the next year, on March 21, 2008, James became the Cavs all-time leading scorer (Nagelhout 36). In the 2009-2010 season, Lebron won the MVP award and averaged 30 points per game (Nagelhout 37). Lebron was upset that he could not win a NBA Finals series.
In 1975 young Kareem decided milwaukee wasn 't able to suite his cultural needs and demanded a trade. Kareem was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Although the Lakers didn’t make it over .500 or make the playoffs Kareem still won his fourth mvp award, leading the league in rebounds (16.9) and blocks (4.12). In 1977-78 Kareem lost his temper and lashed out breaking his hand on Bucks rookie center Kent Benson 's face.
Steph Curry played a big role in the Championship. According to USA today he became the first player to be voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the finals by unanimous vote. This vote shows that the entire media panel recognized his skill and contribution to the team. Out of many NBA championships, Curry is the only player who has received this honor. This was not the first time he received an award, In fact, according to SkySports.com his other achievements include eight all-star games, 2 NBA All Star awards, one All-Star MVP award , and two NBA Scoring Champion awards (highest average points per game in a season).
The Jordan Influence When most people think about Michael Jordan, they think about him as the greatest basketball player who ever played. However, Jordan was not only a basketball player, but someone who influenced the American culture and society. Jordan’s influence was one that had never been seen before. Whether it was through basketball or his own brand, Jordan was making everyone want “to be like Mike”.
That NBA draft Kobe was drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats, but then traded to the LA Lakers. In Kobe’s basketball career he went on to win 5 NBA Championships, 1 MVP award, NBA All-Rookie Team, 3 time All-NBA team, 3 time All-defensive Team, 2 time NBA finals MVP, 3 time NBA All-star game MVP, and the defensive player of the year. Outside of the NBA Kobe has won 2 Gold olympic medals for basketball. Ever since a young age Kobe knew that he was going to make it big. He did this all because of his amazing work ethic and love for the game.
Kobe Bryant was able to win 5 and Michael Jordan won 6. This puts MJ ahead in the winning category because championships are what you strive for especially since MJ played for less years. Most players would be satisfied with winning one, but winning wasn’t enough for them. Their cutthroat mentality and desire to be the best escalated them to becoming two of the greatest players ever. What’s outstanding is how they both played in different generations and played almost exactly the same and both of them were not able to be stopped,