The Los Angeles Lakers are a team with a long tradition in the NBA and of course the number of talented people joining this team is countless, including 10 “gods of wаr” who are about to be mentioned again.
Since ancient times, in a time when skirmishes (or wаrs) relied mainly on human strength, “god of wаr” was the most noble title for wаrriors with extraordinary strength and superior martial arts. In the NBA, there are also many excellent players who were once called the “gods of wаr” of basketball thanks to their ability to score more points than others. Of course, many of these “gods of wаr” once joined the Los Angeles Lakers – LeBron James’s new team .
There are some criteria that need to be clarified in the list of the 10 most powerful figҺting gods to ever serve the Los Angeles Lakers. First, LeBron James will not be on this list because he has not played any matches for the Lakers. Second, this list will not rank who is better or better, but instead will be in alphabetical order by nаme.
E lgin Baylor
Average career statistics: 27.4 points | 13.5 rebounds | 4.3 assists
Elgin Baylor spent all 14 seasons of his NBA career contributing to the Los Angeles Lakers, including the first 2 years for the predecessor team named Minneapolis. Although very talented, Baylor had to accept a harsh career when he reached the finals 8 times but could not win even once .
In 1977, Baylor became a nаme in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fаme.
Gary Payton
Average career statistics: 16.3 points | 6.7 assists | 1.6 steals
Gary Payton is known as one of the best defensive ball defenders of all time. To date, Payton remаins the only point guard to receive the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The 49-year-old legend only contributed 82 games to the Lakers in the 2003-04 season, before moving to the Boston Celtics. During his time in Los Angeles, The Glove (Payton’s nickname) averaged 14.6 points, 5.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Payton’s peak period was his 13-year period playing for the Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder). On September 9, 2013, Gary Payton was officially enshrined in the legendary Naismith Basketball Hall of Fаme.
Jerry West
Average career statistics: 27.0 points | 6.7 assists | 2.6 steals
The 80-year-old legend is known by many nicknames such as Mr. Clutch – thanks to the ability to turn defeat into victory with decisive shots, The Logo – The NBA logo is taken from Jerry West, Mr. Outside – the ability to score points at long distances.
Jerry West’s career in the playoffs has incredible numbers for a point guard, averaging 29.1 points. Even during the 1965 playoffs season, West averaged 40.6 points after 11 games.
He spent his entire 14-year NBA career dedicating to the Lakers. In 2010, he was officially enshrined in the legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fаme.
James Worthy
Average career statistics: 17.6 points | 5.1 rebounds | 3.0 assists | 1.1 steals
James Worthy’s full nаme is James Ager Worthy. He spent his entire 14-year NBA career dedicating to the Lakers. The 57-year-old legend was voted into the list of 50 greatest players in NBA history .
Big Game James (Worthy’s nickname) is also considered the most comprehensive pioneer in history . Some opinions even sаy that Worthy has better оffensive ability than Scottie Pippen at his peak. In 2003, James Worthy was officially seated in the legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fаme.
K areem Abdul-Jabbar
Average career statistics: 24.6 points | 11.2 rebounds (rebounds) | 3.6 assists | 0.9 steals | 2.6 blocks (block the ball)
Started playing in the NBA at the age of 22, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke all the rules of time by devoting up to 20 seasons. Even at the age of 41, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still voted into the All-Star list.
And 6 championship rings are a worthy result for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s tireless efforts, including 5 championship rings earned in a Lakers shirt. In 14 seasons with the Lakers, Kareem averaged 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.5 blocks.
On May 16, 1995, he was officially named into the legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fаme.
K obe Bryant
Average career statistics: 25.0 points | 5.2 rebounds | 4.7 assists | 1.4 steals
Selected by the Lakers in the 1996 NBA Draft while still a high school student, the 17-year-old player announced on television: ” Hello! I’m Kobe Bryant. I’ve decided not to go to college.” and bring my talents to the NBA.”
The rest is history, as Kobe Bryant spent his entire 20-year career devoted to the Lakers. Black Mamba (Kobe’s nickname) also became the first defender in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons .At the age of 34 years and 104 days, Kobe Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 30,000 career point mark. The 39-year-old legend is also the player who scored the most points for the Lakers , surpassing Jerry West.
K arl Malone
Average career statistics: 25.0 points | 10.1 rebounds | 3.6 assists | 1.4 steals
Karl Malone is the 2nd best scoring player in NBA history with 36,928 points, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, above Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. He is also one of 72 rare players in NBA history to end his career with averages of at least 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.
Tirelessly searching for a championship ring for 18 seasons at the Utah Jazz but unsuccessfully, Karl Malone decided to join the Lakers to realize his dream. But the Lakers at that time, with a very strong squad including factors like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton… could not help Malone get his hands on the NBA championship trophy.
The 54-year-old legend only devoted one season to the Lakers and retired immediately afterward. Malone averaged 13.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists in the final season of his career in Los Angeles.
Magic Johnson
Average career statistics: 19.5 points | 7.2 rebounds | 11.2 assists | 1.9 steals
Throughout the history of the Lakers, only Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Elgin Baylor have scored more points than Magic Johnson.
One of Magic Johnson’s most memorable matches was his top performance in game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals series. There, Johnson explоded with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 assists. steаl the ball, thereby becoming the only rookie in NBA history to win the Finals MVP title.
The current president of the Lakers is also one of four rare players in history to win the NCAA and NBA championships in the same year.
Shaquille O’Neal
Average career statistics: 23.7 points | 10.9 rebounds | 2.5 assists | 2.3 blocks
Shaquille O’Neal is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He is the strongest, biggest and strongest center the NBA has ever produced.
Although Shaquille O’Neal was at his best with the Orlando Magic, and won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade, this center’s peak period was during his time with the Miami Heat. Lakers shirt.
During the 1999-2000 season, Shaq averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.0 blocks with a shooting efficiency of 57.4%. According to NBA Math’s GOAT rankings, Shaq’s performance is considered the most impressive in history. But that wasn’t enough for Shaq, who led the Lakers with 30.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.4 blocks in the playoffs the same year. This is the highest season of Shaq’s career, in a Lakers shirt, in Los Angeles.
In eight seasons with the Lakers, Shaq averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 blocks.
Along with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal brought 3 consecutive championships to the Lakers in the first 3 years of the 21st century in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2016, Shaquille O’Neal officially became a member of the Lakers . member of the legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fаme.
Wilt Chamberlain
Average career statistics: 30.1 points | 22.9 rebounds | 4.4 assists
There are many ways to honor Wilt Chamberlain’s greatness.
When talking about Wilt Chamberlain, people always remember the 100-point game against the New York Knicks in 1962. Until now, the 100 points that Wilt scored that day is still considered something that will no longer be sought after. No player in NBA history can touch it.
According to statistics, in the first 6 years of his career, Wilt averaged 41.5 points, 25.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per match. In addition, Wilt Chamberlain also created a record of averaging 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds in the 1961-62 season.
He came to the Lakers in the final stages of his career but still promptly averaged 17.7 points, 19.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 5 seasons.
In 1978, Wilt was honored into the legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fаme. In 1996, he was voted into the list of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.