The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history. With a league-leading 17 NBA championships (tied with the Boston Celtics), the Lakers have a history that dates back to the first days of the NBA in 1948-49. Over the last 76 years, some of the most talented scorers in league history have helped the Lakers reach these levels as a franchise which is what our focus will be on here today.
Much like we did with their GOAT pyramid, below is a tier system to illustrate the leading scorers in Lakers history. We will focus on the 27 players in team history who have scored a minimum of 5,000 points and work our way up to the team’s all-time leading scorer and the only player to score over 30,000 points in a Lakers uniform, Kobe Bryant.
Take a trip through NBA history as we reveal the Los Angeles Lakers’ all-time scoring pyramid
Tier 5 – 5K Club (5,000+ Points)
Rudy LaRusso, LeBron James, Norm Nixon, A.C. Green, Michael Cooper, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell, Happy Hairston, Wilt Chamberlain, Jim Pollard, Nick Van Exel, Anthony Davis
The first tier in Lakers scoring history that we will be covering is Tier 5. This tier consists of the 15 players who scored between 5,000 and 9,999 points in a Lakers uniform. Rudy LaRusso played eight seasons with the Lakers from 1960 through 1967 in which he scored 8,231 points. LaRusso recorded four seasons with at least 1,000 points en route to three All-Star selections with the team. He ranks 13th in team history in scoring
LeBron James may have broken the NBA’s all-time scoring record in a Lakers uniform but he remains at the bottom of the pyramid in terms of total points in a Lakers jersey. James has been with the Lakers since the 2018-19 season and has totaled 8,102 points. He also has four seasons with at least 1,000 points, five All-Star selections, an NBA championship, and a Finals MVP award in 2020. Currently, in his 21st season overall and sixth with the team, James is sure to climb up the pyramid but how much further remains a mystery.
Norm Nixon was a member of the Showtime era during the early 1980s with the Lakers. He played six seasons with the team and accumulated 7,938 points during that time. Nixon would be a two-time NBA champion and one-time All-Star with the Lakers while also recording at least 1,000 points every season he was with the team. Nixon averaged 16.4 points per game in his Lakers career as well with four seasons of over 17.0 points per game.
A.C. Green played nine seasons with the Lakers from 1986 through 1993. During those nine seasons, Green scored 7,789 points in total, or 10.6 points per game. Green was a 1,000-point scorer four times during his Lakers career which resulted in one All-Star appearance and three championships in 1987, 1988, and again when he joined the Lakers for the 2000 season.
Michael Cooper was one of the best defenders of the 1980s and his spot in Tier 5 should not be surprising for fans who are familiar with his strengths on the court. The former Defensive Player of the Year played his entire 12-year career with the Lakers from 1979 through 1990, scoring 7,729 points and averaging 8.9 points per game. Cooper never recorded a single 1,000-point season in his career and had just one season in which he scored more than 900 points. Cooper would win five NBA titles with the Lakers in his career.
Pau Gasol was essential to two NBA championships for the Lakers in 1009 and 2010 as the second option to Kobe Bryant. As one of the greatest European players to ever play the game, Gasol spent six and a half seasons from 2008 through 2014 with Los Angeles, scoring a total of 7,610 points. Gasol recorded five different 1,00-point seasons in his Lakers career including four straight from 2009 through 2012.
Derek Fisher may be in the lower echelon of scorers in Lakers history but his importance to their success can never be understated. Fisher had two separate stints with the Lakers from 1997 through 2004 and again from 2008 through 2012. During that time, he totaled 7,223 points despite never recording a single 1,000-point season. Fisher would help the Lakers win five NBA championships and is among the winningest players in NBA playoff history.
Lamar Odom was another player essential to the Lakers’ success during the late 2000s. Odom played seven seasons with L.A. from 2005 through 2012, helping them win two NBA titles in 2009 and 2010. Odom accumulated 7,092 points during his time with the Lakers which came in the form of three 1,000-point seasons. He averaged 13.7 points per game during his Lakers career as well with only two seasons of 15.0 points per game or more.
Vlade Divac was a fierce rival of the Lakers during the 2000s with the Kings. Before that came to be, Divac was a member of the Lakers from 1990-1996 where he scored 6,531 points. Divac recorded four 1,000-point seasons all consecutively from 1993 through 1996 before he would be traded from Los Angeles to Charlotte in exchange for the player who sits atop this scoring pyramid.
Elden Campbell would spend eight and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1991 through 1999. Campbell was the Lakers’ 27th pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and was a fierce interior presence for them during the 1990s. Campbell would record 6,408 total points in his Lakers career with back-to-back 1,000-point seasons in 1996 and 1997. He averaged 10.4 points per game in his career with five straight seasons of 10.0 points per game or more from 1994 through 1998.
Happy Hairston spent five and a half seasons with the Lakers from 1970 through 1975. Even though it was the tail end of his career, Hairston was productive with 5,993 total points during that time. Hairston recorded four seasons with at least 1,000 points with the Lakers and helped them win the 1972 NBA championship as well.
Wilt Chamberlain is obviously known for his incredible scoring feats throughout his 14-year NBA career. With the Lakers from 1969 through 1973, and at the end of his career, he was still able to record 5,985 total points. Although he was never a league leader in scoring with the team, he had four 1,000-point seasons during his time there and in 1972, led them to an NBA championship while also claiming Finals MVP honors.
Jim Pollard spent all seven seasons of his career with the Minneapolis Lakers from 1949 through 1955. The four-time All-Star accumulated 5,762 points in his Lakers career with one 1,000-point season in 1952. Pollard would also add three other seasons with at least 800 points while helping the team win five NBA championships from 1949 through 1954.
Nick “The Quick” Van Exel was one of the most electric players during the 1990s for the Los Angeles Lakers. Van Exel played five seasons with the team from 1994 through 1998 and earned the only All-Star selection of his career in 1998 as well. Van Exel scored 5,633 points in his time with the team with four 1,000-point seasons in his first four seasons in the NBA. All four of those 1,000-point seasons would come with 450 or more assists as well.
The final member of the 5,000-point club with the Lakers is Anthony Davis who is with the Lakers currently and has been since the start of the 2019-20 season. Davis has been criticized for his health issues and inconsistency since joining the Lakers despite his monstrous role in their 2020 championship run. In these short four-plus seasons, Davis has scored 5,239 points with just two 1,000-point seasons and one season over 1,500 points in 2020.
Tier 4 – 10K Club (10,000+ Points)
Shaquille O’Neal, Gail Goodrich, Byron Scott, Jamaal Wilkes, George Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen
Tier 4 is set to honor the players in Lakers history who scored between 10,000 and 14,999 points while donning the purple and gold. Leading this tier is none other than Shaquille O’Neal who cemented his legacy as one of the greatest players ever from 1998-2004 with the team. O’Neal scored 13,895 points with the Lakers, leading the NBA twice in total points. O’Neal would record 1,000 or more points with the team every season he was there along with six seasons over 1,500 points and two seasons over 2,000 points. O’Neal was the driving force behind three straight NBA titles for L.A. from 2000-2002 claiming Finals MVP all three times.
Gail Goodrich is an underrated Lakers legend who had two stints with the team from 1966-1968 and again from 1971-1976. Goodrich totaled 13,044 points in nine seasons with the team which included an NBA title in 1972 and four All-Star selections. He would record seven 1,000-point seasons or more, four 1,500-point seasons, and one 2,000-point season in their 1972 championship year.
Before he was an accomplished head coach in the NBA, Byron Scott enjoyed a 14-year NBA career, 11 of which came with the Lakers from 1984 through 1993 and another season in 1997. Scott was never an All-Star but he was a sneakily good scorer during his Lakers career with 12,780 points placing him ninth in team history in points. Scott would have eight 1,000-point seasons with Los Angeles, all consecutively from 1985 to 1992. He would win three NBA titles with the team in the 1980s as well mostly as the backcourt running mate of Magic Johnson.
Jamaal Wilkes ranks 10th in Lakers history with 10,601 total points scored from 1978 through 1985 with the team. Wilkes would have six 1,000-point seasons with the team which all came in six straight seasons from 1979 through 1984. He also added five 1,500-point seasons along with two All-Star selections and two NBA championships with the Lakers in 1980 and 1982.
Before any other player helped to make the Lakers the powerhouse franchise it is known as today, there was George Mikan. In six seasons with Minneapolis, Mikan accumulated an astonishing 10,156 points in total. He led the NBA three times consecutively from 1949 through 1951 in total points and recorded over 1,000 points six times. Mikan would help the Lakers win five NBA titles in his career and earned four All-Star selections as well.
The final member of Tier 4 is Mikan’s teammate with the Minneapolis, Vern Mikkelsen. In 10 seasons with the Lakers, Mikkelsen scored 10,063 points to the tune of just four 1,000-point seasons and four other seasons over 900 points. Mikkelsen would help the Lakers win four NBA championships in his 10 seasons with the team and earned six All-Star selections as well as four All-NBA Team selections.
Tier 3 – 15K Club (15,000+ Points)
Magic Johnson, James Worthy
Only two players belong to Tier 3 of the Lakers’ all-time scoring pyramid which honors those who scored between 15,000 and 19,999 points in their Lakers career. The Lakers’ history books are no stranger to these two players who shared the court for most of their careers. Widely seen as the greatest point guard in NBA history, Magic Johnson scored 17,707 points with the Lakers in 13 seasons of play. On his way to five titles, three Finals MVPs, and three MVPs, Johnson has 11 1,000-point seasons and three 1,500-point seasons while also leading the NBA in triple-doubles 10 times.
Big Game James Worthy was the Lakers’ No. 1 overall pick by the Lakers in 1982. Worthy would go on to become a Lakers icon over the next 12 seasons, scoring 16,320 total points in the process. He would be a 1,000-point scorer all but one season in Los Angeles with five seasons above 1,500 points as well. Worthy would help the Lakers capture three NBA titles, win Finals MVP in 1988, and earn seven All-Star selections in his career.
Tier 2 – 20K Club (20,000+ Points)
Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor
Tier 2, or the players that scored between 20,000 and 29,999 points in their Lakers careers, is occupied by three of the most legendary names in team history. Jerry West is second in Lakers history with 25,192 points scored with the Lakers from 1961 through 1974. West was a relentless scorer who averaged 27.0 points per game for his career. He recorded at least 1,000 points 13 times, at least 1,500 points 10 times, and at least 2,000 points five times. While he never led the NBA in total points, he did win one scoring title to go with his one NBA championship and Finals MVP award.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the second player on this list to break the NBA’s all-time scoring record while wearing a Lakers uniform. Kareem achieved this with 14 seasons under his belt with the Lakers from 1976 to 1989. He totaled 24,176 points in those 14 seasons with 13 1,000-point seasons, 11 1,500-point seasons, and four 2,000-point seasons. Kareem would help the Lakers with five NBA championships during the 1980s while also winning one Finals MVP and three of his NBA record six MVP awards.
Elgin Baylor is one of the most underrated players in NBA history, often criticized for his lack of an NBA championship and the era he played in. Regardless, Baylor accumulated 23,149 points with the Lakers from 1959 through 1972. He recorded 12 1,000-point seasons, 10 1,500-point seasons, and five 2,000-point seasons during his career that saw him set various scoring records that still stand today including 61 points in an NBA Finals game in 1962.
Tier 1 – 30K Club (30,000+ Points)
Kobe Bryant
We have finally arrived at the top of the Lakers’ all-time scoring pyramid where only one man in team history stands alone with over 30,000 points in his career. Kobe Bryant played 20 seasons with the Lakers from 1997 through 2016 where he became the franchise GOAT with five NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, and an MVP award in 2008. He also became the franchise leader in games, minutes, free throws made, three-pointers made, points, and steals.
As for his scoring, Bryant is widely known as one of the five greatest scorers in NBA history with 33,643 points which ranks fourth in NBA history overall. He would record 16 seasons with at least 1,000 points, 13 seasons with at least 1,5000 points, and eight seasons with at least 2,000 points in 20 seasons. Despite only two career scoring titles, Bryant led the NBA four times in total points scored including three years straight from 2006 through 2008.
There should never be any doubt as to who the greatest scorer, or overall player, is in Los Angeles Lakers history ever again.
