With all the talk about Kobe and debate about him vs. Jordan or vs. Lebron, I thought this would be a good debate.

 

Is Kobe the greatest Laker? If not, who is?

Wow! tough poll. I went with Wilt just because he was so dominate at the time he played the game. He was not as great of a basketball player as some of the others but was a man among boys.

I went with Kobe. He did it with two different teams. He is the only Laker to do that, IMO.

George Mikan - 23.1 pts, 13.4 reb, 2.8 ast (7 Seasons w/Lakers, 5 Championships)

 

Jerry West - 27 pts, 5.8 reb, 6.7 ast (14 Seasons w/Lakers, 1 Championship)

 

Elgin Baylor - 27.4 pts, 13.5 reb, 4.3 ast (12 Full Seasons w/Lakers, 0 Championships)

 

Wilt Chamberlain - 30.1 pts, 22.9 reb, 4.4 ast (5 Seasons w/Lakers, 1 Championship)

 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 24.6 pts, 11.2 reb, 3.6 ast, 2.6 blk (14 seasons w/Lakers, 5 Championships)

 

Magic Johnson - 19.5 pts, 7.2 reb, 11.2 ast, 1.9 stl (13 Seasons, 5 Championships)

 

Shaquille O'Neal - 24.1 pts, 11 reb, 2.6 ast, 2.3 blk (8 Seasons w/Lakers, 3 Championships)

 

Kobe Bryant - 25.3 pts, 5.3 reb, 4.7 ast, 1.5 stl (14 Seasons, 5 Championships)

I voted for Magic.

BTW, the numbers are career stats, but I noted the number of seasons each played with and the championships with the Lakers.

 

Obviously, Wilt had another title with Philly. And, Elgin Baylor actually played in 14 seasons, but he only played a handful of games in the last two and wasn't a part of the '72 championship run.

 

Wilt is the toughest one to judge in this poll, IMO. He may very well be the greatest player on the list, but he only played 5 seasons with the Lakers. So, do you just go strictly by how good the player was in his career, or do you give more weight to their time in a Lakers uniform?

 

I took Magic because of the combination of his success on the court and his impact on the game of basketball. Together, he, Bird and MJ are alone on a pedestal with regards to impacting the league, IMO.

I took Magic but it is a hard pick. I agree ^ with you on Wilt. Was not with the Lakers long enough to be their greatest. Kobe is great but I would put Magic, West, Baylor and Kareem ahead of him.

Wilt is the toughest one to judge in this poll, IMO. He may very well be the greatest player on the list, but he only played 5 seasons with the Lakers. So, do you just go strictly by how good the player was in his career, or do you give more weight to their time in a Lakers uniform?

 

 

If it is a greatest Laker debate, I don't even consider Wilt. His best days were not as a Laker, but as a Sixer. He did win a ring with the team and he was a great player, but he is not the greatest Laker. It would be like saying Shaq is the greatest center in Miami Heat history. He won a ring with Miami, but Alonzo Mourning is the greatest Heat center. I do not identify Wilt as a Laker just as I don't identify Shaq as a Heat player. Wilt is a Sixer, IMO.

I took Magic but it is a hard pick. I agree ^ with you on Wilt. Was not with the Lakers long enough to be their greatest. Kobe is great but I would put Magic, West, Baylor and Kareem ahead of him.

 

I find it curious that you take Elgin and West ahead of Kobe only because of the champioships. Kobe won 5 and Baylor didn't win any and West won 1. I think that leading a team to championships must be a major factor in defining greatness.

If it is a greatest Laker debate, I don't even consider Wilt. His best days were not as a Laker, but as a Sixer. He did win a ring with the team and he was a great player, but he is not the greatest Laker. It would be like saying Shaq is the greatest center in Miami Heat history. He won a ring with Miami, but Alonzo Mourning is the greatest Heat center. I do not identify Wilt as a Laker just as I don't identify Shaq as a Heat player. Wilt is a Sixer, IMO.

 

I agree. But, if I hadn't put him on the list, there would have been 30 posts about it. I don't consider Wilt a Laker in the same way I do some of the others. To be honest, while he played 8 seasons and won 3 titles, I don't consider Shaq a "Laker" to the level of guys like Kobe and Magic and Jerry West.

 

Jabbar, however, I do. Even though he started in Milwaukee and won a title there, he played 14 seasons in LA and won it all 5 times. When I think of Jabbar, I definitely think Lakers. With Shaq, the Lakers may pop up first, but I think of Orlando and Miami as well.

If championships were the only criteria, you'd have to throw some love at George Mikan. Five rings in 7 seasons. Not bad.

 

Of course, since nobody saw him play, nobody is going to pick him. But, he has to be mentioned.

If championships were the only criteria, you'd have to throw some love at George Mikan. Five rings in 7 seasons. Not bad.

 

Of course, since nobody saw him play, nobody is going to pick him. But, he has to be mentioned.

 

That is the truth. He was the greatest player of his era, but his era didn't include television coverage, so he won't get any love. He is the original Laker great.

Magic

Kobe.

If I had to rate them all, I'd probably go...

 

1. Magic Johnson

2. Kobe Bryant

(tie) Kareem Abdul- Jabbar

4. Jerry West

5. George Mikan

6. Elgin Baylor

7. Shaquille O'Neal

8. Wilt Chamberlain

 

Deciding between the trio of Kobe, Kareem and West was tough for me.