The Los Angeles Lakers are tied with its rivals, the Boston Celtics, as the winningest NBA franchise in history with 17 championships apiece, as they won their latest title in 2020 inside the NBA bubble in Orlando. Because of these championships, the franchise has been one of the most decorated teams in the league. A significant part of their success is from the selection of young talent in the draft, which boosted their NBA championship odds.
They were able to pick notable players like Elgin Baylor, A.C. Green, Derek Fisher, Sam Jones, Michael Cooper, and Vern Mikkelsen. However, three players stood out among the rest and have contributed the most to the success of the Purple and Gold franchise. Find out those three players below.
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson is easily one of the greatest players in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, and he was selected as the first-overall pick in 1979. Johnson revolutionized the game of basketball by becoming the first big man to have point guard skills, which significantly helped the Lakers win multiple championships. The 6-foot-9 guard didn't capture the Rookie of the Year award but was included in the All-Rookie 1st Team in 1980.
Magic Johnson has the COLDEST mixtape in NBA history ????pic.twitter.com/mkAtk7O4jn