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The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history. Along with the Boston Celtics, they are ranked at the very top of the list for having the most NBA championships.
As a big-market team, the Lakers have always had a lot of success and a lot of stars. From Wilt Chamberlain to Kobe Bryant, the franchise has had many dominant players who won numerous accolades.
Choosing the best players in their history is one of the most difficult tasks, but we will try to pick the best all-time starting five.
Center - Shaquille O'Neal
The center position for the Los Angeles Lakers is stacked. There are numerous NBA legends, including Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. However, Shaquille O'Neal deserves to be the starting center for the team.
In eight years in the City of Angels, O'Neal won three championships and established himself as one of the most dominant centers in the history of the league.
Shaq won numerous accolades and helped the Lakers become one of the most dominant teams of the early 2000s.
Career stats with the Lakers: 27.0 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.5 BPG
Power Forward: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar isn't a power forward, but excluding him from this list would be criminal. He won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and a couple of MVP awards.
Abdul-Jabbar was the master of the skyhook and one of the most gifted scorers to ever play in the NBA. Aside from his amazing offensive skillset, the 7-foot-2 big man was also a good defender.
Career stats with the Lakers: 22.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 3.3 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.5 BPG
Small Forward - LeBron James
This pick might be somewhat controversial due to the long history of the Los Angeles Lakers. However, has there been any small forward as dominant as LeBron James?
James won the championship in his second year with the Lakers while also leading the league in assists per game. Even though he joined the team at the age of 34, he hasn't slowed down and is still one of the most dangerous players in the league.
Career stats with the Lakers: 27.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 8.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Shooting Guard - Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was an incredible player who spent 20 years in the NBA. He played his entire career for the Los Angeles Lakers, which is why he's the greatest player to ever play for the franchise.
"Black Mamba" was a five-time NBA champion in Los Angeles and made 18 All-Star teams. Despite being one of the deadliest scorers to win two scoring titles, Bryant was a great perimeter defender as well.
Career stats with the Lakers: 25.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
Point Guard - Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson's career was incredible, as he was a 6-foot-9 player who mainly played as a point guard. During his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson won five NBA titles and three MVP awards.
Besides his fantastic skills on the basketball court, the five-time NBA champion gets a lot of credit for reviving the NBA in the 1980s. Johnson spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, but unfortunately, he had to sit out for four years due to HIV.
Career stats with the Lakers: 19.5 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 11.2 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.4 BPG
