The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in NBA history, trailing only the Boston Celtics in total championships. Over the decades, countless superstars have worn the purple and gold, making any “all-time” list nearly impossible to finalize. Still, franchise legend Magic Johnson recently shared his own Lakers top five during the Dodgers All-Access event — and it did not include LeBron James.
Selecting just five names from the franchise’s long list of legends is no easy task. Johnson admitted as much, but pressed forward, beginning his list with two of the most iconic Lakers: Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“Kobe going to be one with Kareem,” Johnson began. “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”.
He then turned his attention to Abdul-Jabbar, his longtime teammate with whom he won five NBA championships. “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,” Johnson continued.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Magic also included Shaquille O’Neal, explaining that he wanted to focus on players he had the chance to watch firsthand. But as he reflected, he realized his top five wouldn’t be complete without Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West.
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“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,” he added.
What about LeBron James?
While LeBron James and fellow Lakers great James Worthy didn’t crack his final five, Johnson made sure to acknowledge their place in franchise history. Worthy was his teammate during three championship runs in the 1980s, while LeBron delivered the organization’s most recent title in the 2020 NBA Bubble.
“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,” Johnson admitted.
In the end, Johnson concluded that narrowing the Lakers’ long list of legends down to just five players is essentially an impossible task — a testament to the franchise’s unparalleled history.
