Top 5 Centers in Lakers History

The Lakers have hosted some of the greatest centers the league has even seen spawning from its Minneapolis days to their current home in Los Angeles.

Most championship teams are anchored around a dominate big men and the Lakers have been fortunate enough to have acquired talent seven-footers. These players dominate the paint on both ends of the court and when they are going, they are nearly unstoppable.

We already looked at the top five points guards, shooting guards, small forwards, power forwards in Lakers history and here is our final installment with the top five centers.

5. Andrew Bynum

The Los Angeles Lakers shocked many by taking a raw high school senior out of New Jersey with their 2005 lottery pick. The Lakers had a mediocre season prior and used their tenth pick to get Andrew Bynum out of St. Joseph High School. At the time, Bynum was fairly unheralded and the coaching staff knew it had to work with him intensively before he could become a marquee center.

Bynum’s rookie season was not very successful and he only received 7.3 minutes per game. However, as time moved on he amassed more playing time and got better every season. Bynum eventually helped the Lakers win the 2009 and 2010 NBA Finals, but he still took a back-seat to his front-court mate Pau Gasol.

However, this season Bynum has emerged as the Lakers’ second option and he is making his case as the best center in the NBA. Bynum has averaged 17.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. If he continues his stellar play, he can surely move up this list.

Next Page: Number Four

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