| In recognition of it being Memorial Day, I’ve decided to recognize not only some of the greatest Lakers of all time, but also some of the greatest basketball players of all time. No franchise in the league today can claim to have as many Top 25 All-time Talent as the Los Angeles Lakers -- not the Celtics, not the Bulls, not Detroit and not even the Los Angeles Clippers. The only team in any other sport I could compare the Lakers to is the New York Yankees with Babe Ruth, Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mantle, Yogi -- the list goes on and on.
For the young folk out there, the Lakers history goes way past Shaq, Kobe and Robert Horry’s huge shots. Way past Phil Jackson, Rick Fox and B.Shaw’s bank three-pointer. Way past the matchups with the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers. For the 80’s babies, it goes further than Magic, Kareem, Riley & Worthy. Further than Showtime, the Laker Girls and AC Green’s jheri curls!. Further than Bird vs. Magic, McHale’s clothesline of Rambis, Kareem’s finger in Bird’s face. For the long time fans, it does go back farther than the the 33 game winning streak, the Jerry West Shot from half court, the Wilt Finger rolls and the lefty swishes of Gail Goodrich. Thankfully, it does go further than going the frustrations of losing to the celtics all those years in the finals. It goes back to Mikan, Minneapolis and it goes back to Jack Kent Cooke and Chick. The Lakers have become the marquee franchise in the NBA, not just because we’re the win the most, are based in southern california nor because of our golden uniforms. The Lakers have become the marquee franchise of the NBA because of the people that have been involved and this list below acknowledges the people both on and off the court: |
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| 1. Chick Hearn -- Old Golden throat brought together a city as diverse as Los Angeles together with his “words-eye” view of the up and coming sport of basketball. He broadcasted almost every significant moment in Lakers History and has been the voice of the Lakers for every one their championships in Los Angeles. | |
| 2. Jerry West -- The logo is responsible for bringing excellence to the city of Los Angeles as he paired up with Elgin Baylor to take the Lakers to 6 finals in the 1960s. He maintained that excellence through the 70s, bringing a championship to Los Angeles, then in the 80s when he built the Showtime Lakers that helped save a league. His final gift to the city of Los Angeles was the Shaq and Kobe Era of the new millenium that brought another triplets of trophies to the city of Angels. | |
| 3. Magic Johnson -- The greatest basketball player of all time who brought the perfect combination of showmanship, competitiveness and winning to a city and organization all but ready to embrace it. The trophies, parades and memories he’s brought for a generation of Lakers Fans cannot be compared to and the effects that he still has today on the Los Angeles community will be forever felt even more generations to come. | |
| 4. Dr. Jerry Buss -- Jerry West called him the best owner in sports because he had the vision to build the best and be the best franchise in the league. Dr. Buss gave the green lights for all the major transactions that have let the Lakers continuously restock their roster to make them content for a championshp year after year! No other franchise in sports can make the claim of winning a championship in every decade of their leagues existence! This kind of commitment to excellence has trickled down from Dr. Buss all the way down to us, every day fans, as we expect nothing short of a championship every year! Oh, and not to forget, Dr. Buss was the first owner in the league to recognize the entertainment value of this sport as he was the first franchise to bring in dancers, which you might know as the Laker Girls. He’s also the first owner in sports to show the corporate synergy potential by renaming the Fabulous Forum into the Great Western Forum. If anything, Dr. Buss has been one of the biggest reasons the NBA has as much success as it has today. | |
| 5. Jack Nicholson -- Arguably one of the greatest sports fan of our generation, Jack is a staple at Lakers game home and away. Ask any Lakers fan and you’re guaranteed to hear that one of their biggest laker wishes is to sit next to Jack at a game! Who can forget Jack stepping up to the plate in the 2004 playoffs when he chewed out a referee and when threatened that he will be kicked out, he pretty much laughed at the ref and yelled at him some more! | |
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Awesome, awesome post. Thanks for mentioning Chick. He was the best.
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