10 Greatest Players in Los Angeles Lakers Franchise History

#7 Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain

As I mentioned before, this is just about what the player did as a Laker, and that is the only reason why Wilt is ranked 7th. The most physically dominating force ever, Chamberlain smashed almost every NBA record during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers and his feats are unlikely to ever be matched.

An athlete unlike any other in his time, Wilt was also extremely skilled, being able to finish inside at will and having an unstoppable post fadeaway to boot. Disagreements with ownership in Philly led to him being traded to the Lakers in 1968.

He didn't change life in LA immediately, however, as the Lakers lost in the Finals in 1969 and 70, making it 8 Finals losses in 11 years for the franchise. Things changed thereafter, as Bill Sharman took over as the coach and gave Wilt a new role, with diminished scoring, but more emphasis on defense and rebounding.

His scoring dipped, but the Lakers soared to an NBA record 69 wins as Wilt took on the Bill Russell role in a way, anchoring the paint (made his first NBA All-Defensive Team) and initiating the fast breaks.

This time in the Finals, the Lakers finally broke through against the Knicks and Wilt was named Finals MVP, posting 19 Points and 23 Rebounds a game. They reached the Finals again the following season, but an undermanned roster was no match for the Knicks and after the series, Chamberlain retired from the NBA.

He currently ranks 1st in rebounds per game and FG% in franchise history and it's unlikely that anyone is ever going to break those records.