Andrew Korenchkin
Member
I think the title itself is pretty self explanatory, but I'm curious to see what the rest of you NBA folks think. Reasons why would make the conversation far more interesting as well.
Since I'm such huge Lakers fan, I'm separating my favorite Lakers players with non-Lakers players. Anywhere, here I go.
Favorite Lakers players
Since I'm such huge Lakers fan, I'm separating my favorite Lakers players with non-Lakers players. Anywhere, here I go.
Favorite Lakers players
- Wilt Chamberlain-Yes, his legacy was, in many ways, a product of his time, but for me Wilt is my favorite Basketball player ever. The numbers, the imposing dominance, the strength, the reputation, and the player himself. Given how the modern NBA will never let things like this happen for the better of the game itself, a player like Wilt will most likely never really come along again.
- Kobe Bryant-It's Kobe Bryant, not much else needs to be said. Pretty much one of the first players that helped me fall in love with The Lakers, and subsequently, basketball as a whole.
- Shaq-I think this one is obvious. Dude was a truck.
- Magic Johnson-In my eyes, Magic is the quintessential Point Guard. The passing, the ball handling, and the fundamentals were amazing, and the clutch plays that he was able to deliver are still amazing to watch, from the Baby Hook shot to the amazing three pointers caught on tape. As a coordinator of offense on the floor, no one was able to do it like him him. I wish I was able to see Showtime nightly in their prime, and it's all thanks to him. On top of that, as a personality, few are as likeable as Magic are.
- James Worthy-The statue of liberty dunks. The finger rolls. The post-baseline scoring. Dude was a blast to watch from the highlights.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-It's kind of like watching a self contained scoring machine. You could built a whole team around this guy. The skyhook is one of the most potent weapons in all of basketball as a result.
- George Mikan-He's the original big man, as in the original big man who pretty much made basketball a sport for big man. Amazing how it was once thought that tall people were not good basketball players. Can't imagine what the sport would be like without Mikan.
- Elgin Baylor-One of the most unfairly overlooked player, at least by today's standards. His acrobatic moves on the court are dazzling to watch, and his fundamentals are stellar too. One of the ring-less greats, absolutely.
- Jerry West-The original great shooting guard along with Sam Jones, his intensity, work ethic, and his...well, ability to shoot the ball, he's one of the all time great icons in basketball for sure. Little wonder why his silhouette is incorporated into the NBA logo.
- Derek Fisher-You have to give Kobe and West credit of course for being clutch, but Fisher is up there as well when it comes to clutch players in Lakers history. I can't remember how many memorable buzzer beaters this guy has brought, especially in the Finals between Orlando...and of course, .4. Not a bad player all around in general, either.
- Jordan Clarkson-If I had to pick one new Lakers player that is on my must watch list, it's Clarkson. The front office better develop him and NOT trade him away. By god you better not do this.
- Michael Jordan-Like many people, I consider Michael Jordan the best basketball player of all time. There will be another MJ and I don't think we are going to see a person who will dethrone him....in a long time, perhaps never. Others have come close in their own special ways, but Michael Jordan simply outshines everyone and is in a league of his own. As Magic Johnson put it, "There's Michael Jordan and there's the rest of us". I don't think I need to explain further.
- Gary Payton-One of the best defensive players ever, for me it was not just his physical game and toughness, but the mentality he brought; basketball for him was about mind as much as athleticism and merely offense/defense productivity. His ability to trash talk and beat his opponents mentally was one of the reasons why to this day I consider him one of my favorites (Also, I don't really consider him a Laker because he merely played for the team, which to me is different. He will always be a Sonics player to me).
- Scottie Pippin-In many ways I loved watching Pippin more than Jordan. He was a special player on the same Bulls team. Amazing defensive skills,
- Kevin Durant-For me, Durant is the heir to the likes of Kobe and other famous players in the same vein. I don't know if he's necessarily better than some of the aforementioned players at this point in his career (debatable, of course), but he provides the same offensive excitement that those players do, and if his prime has not come yet, I hope to see him become an even more explosive player. Helps that he's such a cool guy, too.
- Reggie Miller-He's one of the best perimeter shooters ever, and he constantly pissed off Michael Jordan and Spike Lee. When you piss off those two, you rule in my book.
- Hakeem Olajuwon-One of the most well rounded and flat out bad ass centers ever. The combination of offense, defense, and flat out grace proved to me that there will be another center like him.
- The Bad Boys Pistons (Thomas, Laimbeer, Dumar, Rodman, etc)-I put these guys together because to me they were the Ravens/Steelers of the NBA during that time, and it was a defensive team effort. Some people understandably hate them for all the reasons why I loved them (attitude, aggression, brutality, and dirty playing), and frankly that only made me like them even more. It's mostly the brutality and aggression, though.
- Jason Collins-Probably the only player to make the list not due to the fact of him being an outstanding player, but simply due to the fact that he's a milestone for LGBT athletes. Hope others are able to follow his lead.
- Nate Thurmond-Probably one of my favorite centers and one of the most unfairly underrated Centers, probably because some people tend to forget him. Regardless, he was a physically imposing giant and was even able to intimidate both Wilt and Kareem. That's the mark of a bad ass player.
