Greatest Lakers 1-5

1) Magic Johnson - Led team to five titles.  Every second Magic spent on the court was meaningful.  Team was never out of contention for a championship while he was in the lineup.

2) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - GOAT period.  Without Cap there is no Miami Heat right now.  Ask Pat Riley what I mean.

3) Shaquille O'Neal - O'Neal said Bryant was the better Laker but that wasn't to say he considered Bryant the better all-timer.  O'Neal was the man for 3 titles.

4) Kobe Bryant - Through it all. 5 titles.

5) Jerry West - Had his hand in EVERY championship the Lakers ever won (in LA).  Ask Pau Gasol.

Word.

Great list Rock. About the only thing that I might change would be to flip Kobe and Shaq's spots. I agree that Shaq was the man for 3 titles, but I think that the way he left and the difference in longevity with the team makes the difference for me. Considering what Kobe said in the interview that I saw this morning on ESPN (that he will retire a Laker, he's not going to move to other teams looking for more titles) Shaq is the only one on the top 5 list that will not/did not retire as a Laker.

I agree with the list but I would also switch Shaq for Kobe, his departure left a bad taste in my mouth, but all in all good list.

The Lakers DEALT Shaq.  They should've tried to find a way to keep the two together.  Just my opinion.  Shaq is the better Laker and the better all-timer.  You could've kept Eddie Jones and the Lakers still would've probably 3-peated.  We'll never know.  Word.

Magic and kareem are the two that matter at the 1 and 2 spots after that its open to debate

one thing thats important to note is the competition that the laker teams play against (for all the laker fans who knock the Celtics for winnin in the 60s)

if you apply that same logic you really cant put kobe at 3 because 2 of his 5 titles came against the Nets.... J. kidd and a bunch of scrubs (they were so mediocre Paul Pierce nearly single handidly beat them in the ECF)

1 title was against the celtics
1 title against the Pacers (miller n scrubs)
and finally 1 title against the magic

i dont intend to diminish kobes 5 rings (rings are still rings) my point is to compare that to

magic johnson whose rings came against bird twice
isiah thomas and bill lambier once
and dr J and the sixers once.

i dont think i need to explain which one is vastly more impressive

and as far as shaq vrs kobe

shaq went to miami and won a ring with wade (when wade couldnt do it on his own

kobe went dormant until he got gasoft) (again rings are rings..) however theyre needs to be perspective in this debate and i firmly believe that rock nailed it.

Those are my top 5....

First three:  Magic, Kareem, and Shaq

Next two are really tough.  I know alot of folks like Kobe and his five rings; but I've never been that impressed with Kobe.  Shaq was the man in three of those rings and it isn't like Kobe was a Pippen to Jordan.  He was a scorer and today is still a scorer.  After Shaq was not signed, he needed Phil Jackson, Fisher, Gasol, Bynum, and Odom to win.  Seems like an awful lot..while Shaq helps Wade win a ring in Miami.  I just can't see Kobe as great just cause he scores points.  So I think I'd give the final two spots to Wilt and West.  They did more with less and didn't have to be ball hogs...they scored but at a higher percentage.   Wilt is the best scorer...so he's gotta beat Kobe.  West won a Finals MVP without the ring...only guy in history to do it.  Kobe wins an MVP by default...cause they don't know who else to give it to.

So I'd go with:  Magic, Kareem, Shaq, Wilt, and West....  then Kobe.

1) Kareem
2) Magic
3) Shaq
4) Kobe
5) West

Wilt isn't a top 5 Laker.

Where is Sedale Threat on this list?

1) Magic
2) Kareem
3) Wilt
4) Kobe
5) Baylor
6) West
7) Shaq

One way of looking at it is this...

If I were trying to put together a championship team, which order would I pick the players  (utilizing only their Laker careers)

1) Kareem - The anchor
2) Magic - A team with Magic on it is a team, not a collection of players.
3) Kobe - Kobe and West are very close.  Both are/were excellent in many phases of the game. 
4) West
5) Shaq - Not a Laker long enough to be higher
6) Baylor - Maybe should be above Shaq.  Easily the top forward
7) Wilt - His best years were pre-LA, but he was still awesome.
8) Worthy - Not a long peak, but an force.
9) Cooper - Longevity counts and versatility gives him great value.
10) Wilkes - Always underrated.  He just played basketball, simply, smoothly, consistently and at a high level.

Ceballos?  Van Exel?  Medvedenko?  Brian Cook?


You guys are missing some great ones.

I just can't see Kobe as great just cause he scores points.

Whoa, please don't sell Kobe Bryant short. If Kobe is selected to the all defensive 1st team at the end of this season (which he has a great shot at), he will become the 1st player in NBA history with 10 first team selections breaking a tie with Jordan so please don't tell me "he just scores points." Also, he averages 5 rebounds and almost 5 assists per game for his career so he clearly is more than a scorer. My top 5 Lakers are:

1. Magic Johnson
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Shaquille O'Neal/Jerry West- Shaq has 3 Laker rings, Kobe has 5, and Kobe just passed him in scoring. To boot, Shaq would tell you that Kobe is a better Laker.        

Nighthawke,



That argument is flawed, the teams they played were Jordan's Bulls, but you don't get to pick who you play. Additionally, the Lakers went through the former multiple NBA champion San Antonio Spurs a couple times, and beat a very good Denver and Suns team along the way.


Using your argument, the Steelers beat the Cardinals and Seahawks in the Super Bowl two inferior teams, thus the NY Giants super bowls mean more than the Steelers. A ring is a ring, no matter how you look at it. Kobe has 5.       

The Lakers DEALT Shaq.

That was on Shaq, not the Lakers. For all of the blame that Kobe took for Shaq leaving, it turned out that the probalem was more Shaq than Kobe. If Shaq had taken the same type of attitude towards Kobe, that he took with D-Wade and other stars that he played with after he left, he would have retired a Laker and Celtic fans wouldn't be able to use that 17-16 lead in championships anymore.

Shaq is the better Laker and the better all-timer.

Disagree. I love Shaq and what he did for the Lakers, but Kobe is the better all-timer (and I hate saying that because outside of him being a Laker, I am not a Kobe fan).

Wilt isn't a top 5 Laker.

As someone who is old enough and saw Wilt every year that he played for the Lakers, I have to agree. Wilt is top 5 on the all-time NBA players list, but not a top 5 Laker.

Ceballos?  Van Exel?  Medvedenko?  Brian Cook?


You guys are missing some great ones.

Swen Nater? Mark Landsberger? Elmore "The Rejector" Smith? 

I swear Zagstuh, I'll bet that between the 2 of us, we could put together a list of ex-Lakers that would be the most dominant team in history!! 

I know alot of folks like Kobe and his five rings; but I've never been that impressed with Kobe.

Yeah, but you think T-Mac is better, so.......

Shaq was the man in three of those rings and it isn't like Kobe was a Pippen to Jordan.

Seriously?!? Kobe wasn't a Pippen to Shaq's Jordan?!? Wow! I know you hate Kobe, but that's just blind hate.

After Shaq was not signed, he needed Phil Jackson, Fisher, Gasol, Bynum, and Odom to win. 

Oh yeah, that's right. Thanks for reminding me that it was Del Harris and not Phil Jackson that coached the Lakers during those 3 titles. Oh yeah, and Kobe, Fisher, Horry, Ron Harper, etc., etc. had no roles in those championships. It was all Shaq and Del Harris.

 

I just can't see Kobe as great just cause he scores points.

Yep, that's all he does. I wonder why he ended up on the all-defensive team for all of those seasons? Maybe, like his MVP, they just didn't know who else to name.

Wilt is the best scorer

Not as a Laker. As a Laker it was about his defense and rebounding.

The Lakers went from my favorite team to the team you love to hate right after the "Showtime" Lakers with Kareem, Worthy, Cooper, Scott, Johnson, et al.   My favorite Lakers happen to be from the 60's and 70's with the likes of Jerry (the kid from Cabin Creek) West, Elgin (off @ the 10th floor) Baylor, Dick (fall back baby) Barnett, Rudy LaRusso, Gail Goodrich, Gene Wiley, etc...All made famous by Chic (fakes into the popcorn machine) Hearn.  Those were the days!!!

Swen Nater? Mark Landsberger? Elmore "The Rejector" Smith? 

I swear Zagstuh, I'll bet that between the 2 of us, we could put together a list of ex-Lakers that would be the most dominant team in history!! 

Nah.  I think you could do this.  I pretty much ran out of names at this point that are "joke" greats as I am not a Lakers fan although I will add Luke Walton as my last guy.  He will go down as the leading scorer in Lakers history.  Not because he is a great scorer but simply because one point per game adds up when you have a contract that goes through the year 2070.