The Los Angeles Lakers are the most star-studded franchise in NBA history. From Wilt Chamberlain to LeBron James, from Jerry West to Kobe Bryant, the purple and gold have always been synonymous with superstardom.
So when Magic Johnson, the man who brought Showtime and one of the greatest Lakers ever, was asked to name his top five Lakers of all time, the challenge was clear: no matter who he picked, an all-time great would be left off.
At the Dodgers’ All-Access event, Johnson didn’t shy away from the question, even if he admitted how impossible the task really is. His first two names were obvious.
“Kobe going to be one with Kareem. Nobody is like Kobe. His killer mentality, hitting big shots after big shots, but also loved being a Laker, loved playing in Los Angeles. He represented the city. Let’s clap for Kobe. We miss him.”
“Nobody is like Kareem. Oh my goodness, the skyhook. He was so intelligent, basketball IQ off the charts. I just loved playing with Kareem. He’s just awesome.”
“And then when you think about the other guys, you have to remember I didn’t play with Wilt, I didn’t play with Jerry. You have to put them in there. Shaq was amazing. So I better say the guys I was able to see, because it would be wrong if I tried to go back.
“So I would say Kareem, Shaq, Kobe, and when I think about it, you have to put Wilt and Jerry in there.
“James Worthy would definitely qualify. But you try to do five Lakers, and it’s impossible. Because you’ve got put LeBron now. So I don’t know how you get to five. That’s why if you get all of our Hall of Famers, just like the Dodgers, you put all the Dodgers Hall of Famers against any other team, we would beat them.”
“Just like if you put all the Lakers against any team, we would beat them. That’s how I see it. And never include Lakers without Magic.”
The five players Magic Johnson named were: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, and Jerry West.
Kobe Bryant’s resume speaks for itself: five championships, two Finals MVPs, an MVP in 2008, and two decades of embodying what it meant to wear the Laker uniform. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, meanwhile, was the engine of the 1980s dynasty alongside Magic, winning five titles in L.A. and becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer until LeBron passed him last year.
Shaq, the most dominant force of the early 2000s, led the Lakers to a three-peat while capturing three Finals MVPs. Wilt, even in his later years, was the interior presence who helped deliver the 1972 title and posted numbers that still boggle the mind. West, “The Logo,” carried the franchise through the 1960s and remains the face of its relentless pursuit of excellence.
But even Magic admitted narrowing it to five leaves out names that deserve to be there, like James Worthy and LeBron James.
For Magic, the truth is that the Lakers’ legends are too deep to confine to just a handful of names. The franchise has produced generations of legends, and Johnson believes that if you took every Hall of Famer in Lakers history, they’d beat any all-time team.
