10 Greatest Players in Los Angeles Lakers Franchise History

#3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Image Courtesy: Lakers Nation)

One of the all-time greats, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spent 14 seasons with the Lakers, winning 5 championships and 3 league MVP honors. Possessing the most unstoppable shot in NBA history, the Skyhook, Jabbar soared to the top of the all-time scoring charts. In 1975, Kareem was traded to a Lakers squad which had just missed the playoffs for the 1st time since moving to LA and he had an immediate impact.

Jabbar was crowned MVP in each of his first 2 seasons in LA and he led the team to the Conference Finals in 1977, but they came up short to the Blazers. Playoff disappointments were a theme till 1979 when the team drafted Magic Johnson and their fortunes changed forever.

With Magic in tow, Jabbar would win 5 titles in 9 years and he was named Finals MVP once. He currently ranks 1st in blocks, 2nd in rebounds and 3rd in points in franchise history. The reason why Kareem doesn't go higher is quite simply that on the biggest occasions it was usually Magic and not Jabbar who came up strong and led LA to victory.