Scroll through the NBA record books and you’d be hard-pressed to find a category that doesn’t feature multiple Los Angeles Lakers.
The purple and gold hold one of the richest histories in all of sports; littered with championships, Hall of Famers and iconic moments.
At the team’s media day, superstar forward LeBron James was given the nearly impossible task of creating his all-time Lakers starting-five. And here’s what the King came up with (via ESPN Los Angeles):
All-time starting five for the Lakers? I’m going Magic [Johnson] at 1, Jerry West at the 2, Kobe [Bryant] at the 3, myself at the 4 and Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] at the 5. … I mean Shaq is so dominant, man. I mean, I love Kareem too. I can’t even front on that, but Shaq’s so dominant, we need a big cuz I’m playing the 4, so we need a big. [Anthony Davis] already put himself in the Top 5? Well put A.D. in, take me out.
There aren’t many lists that exclude the magnificent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who remains the NBA’s all-time leading scorer (for the time being).
Which Lakers legends are making your five?