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The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic teams in the history of the NBA. Some of the world's greatest players of all time played for the franchise, donning the purple and gold.
The Lakers have won 16 championships so far and are one title behind the Boston Celtics. It is a dream for every young basketball player to get drafted by the franchise and play for them.
Although the Lakers have not been very successful in the past few seasons, with the addition of LeBron James, they are definitely not a team to sleep on and are expected to make it to the playoffs this season, after missing out four straight years.
In this article, we take a look at all the NBA greats who have won an MVP award while playing for this legendary franchise.
#4 Kobe Bryant - 1
MVP season with the Los Angeles Lakers (2007-08)
Kobe Bryant is inarguably one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers and carried the team to five NBA titles. He was named the Finals MVP on two of those five occasions.
It is astonishing that Kobe won the regular season MVP award only once in his career. During the 2007-08 season, Bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game and carried the team on his back to the NBA Finals.
He finally won the MVP award after getting snubbed for two straight seasons, despite averaging over 30 points per game in each of the two years. The Lakers lost in the finals to the Boston Celtics in six games.
#3 Shaquille O'Neal - 1
MVP season with the Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2000)
Shaquille O'Neal dominated the league for years using his height and strength. Along with Kobe Bryant, he carried the Lakers to three straight NBA championships. He was the Finals MVP on all the three occasions.
Shaq won the league MVP award only once in his career and that was during the season the Lakers won the first of the three straight titles. O'Neal averaged as many as 29.7 points per game, 13.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists over the course of the season. He also led the league for the third straight season in field-goal percentage with 57.4%.
In the finals series against the Indiana Pacers, the 4-time NBA champion averaged a ridiculous 30.7 points, 15.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game to help the Lakers lift their first trophy in 12 years.
#2 Magic Johnson - 3
MVP seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers (1986-87, 1988-89, 1989-90)
Magic Johnson is widely considered the greatest Point Guard of all-time. With his court vision and ball handling skills, he took the Los Angeles Lakers to a whole new level and won five championships with the team.
He won the MVP award three times in his career. During the 1986-87 season, Magic averaged 23.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 12.2 assists per game and took home the MVP trophy. The Lakers defeated the Celtics in the Finals 4-2.
He got his hands on his second MVP award in 1998/89 when he averaged 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 12.8 assists per game. He also shot over 90 percent from the free-throw line. However, the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the Finals, 0-4.
His third and final MVP came during the 1989-90 season when he averaged 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game. The Lakers though lost to Tom Chambers and the Phoenix Suns in five games.
#1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 3
MVP seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers (1975-76, 1976-77, 1979-80)
The first overall pick of the 1969 NBA draft, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was known for his dominance, dismantling the opposition teams with his performances. He spent 20 seasons in the NBA and is known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 19-time NBA All-Star was a 6-time NBA champion and five of them came with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won his first MVP award in just his second year in the NBA. In the 1970-71 season, he carried the Bucks to the finals, averaging a ridiculous 31.7 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over the season. In the Finals, he averaged 26.6 points, 17.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and was also awarded the Finals MVP.
His first MVP trophy with the Lakers came in his first season with the franchise (1975-76), but the Lakers did not qualify for the playoffs. He picked up where he left off and was terrific in the 1976-77 season and was named the MVP despite the Lakers getting swept by the Trail Blazers in the Conference Finals.
However, his third and final MVP season for the Lakers ended with the team lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Kareem led the league in blocks per game that season with 3.4.
Guess the Lakers players!
