Now that the Lakers are the 2010 NBA Champions, there is a lot of talk about Kobe Bryant possibly being the greatest Laker of all time. Since everyone seems to have an opinion on this, I thought I would weigh in with mine. I had initial gut reactions and then decided to look at some statistics. There are 6 players that I think can be thrown into this argument: Kobe, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Shaquille O'Neal. When I am looking at "Greatest Laker of All Time" I am only looking at what players accomplished during their tenures as Lakers, not their entire careers. That is the reason Wilt Chamberlain is not being considered.
Here are the stats, courtesy of http://www.basketball-reference.com/ (and my math skills when it comes to Shaq and Kareem):
| Games | Pts | Asts | Rbs | Titles | Finals MVP | NBA MVP | |
| Bryant | 1021 | 25,790 | 4,766 | 5,410 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Johnson | 906 | 17,707 | 10,141 | 6,559 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Abdul-Jabbar | 1,093 | 24,176 | 3,652 | 10,279 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Baylor | 846 | 23,149 | 3,650 | 11,463 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West | 932 | 25,192 | 6,238 | 5,366 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| O'Neal | 463 | 13,895 | 1,593 | 6,090 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
After soaking all of that in, here is how I am ranking those 6 players when it comes to "Greatest All Time Laker":
6. Elgin Baylor
His stats are amazing! He scored 2,641 less points than Kobe, but he also played 175 fewer games. What makes his scoring numbers even greater is the fact that there was NO 3 POINT LINE when Elgin was playing! He also had 1,184 more rebounds than Kareem in 247 less games! He would be higher on the list, but he never won a championship.
5. Shaquille O'Neal
Shaq only played 463 games for the Lakers, which is less than anyone on this list. During that time he won 3 championships, all of which he was Finals MVP. Throw in an NBA MVP and he is in the top 5.
4. Jerry West
West has probably had the most impact on the organization when you consider his playing career and post playing career. West was extremely versatile. He won a Finals MVP in a series in which his team lost! Kobe has passed him in points by 598, but West played in 89 less games than Kobe. West made it to the Finals 9 times out of the 13 seasons he played. However, he only won 1 title.
3. Kobe Bryant
What can you say? He surpassed Jerry West in scoring this year, has 5 titles, 2 Finals MVPs, and 1 NBA MVP. The scariest fact of all is that he still has playing years ahead of him. The only way he moves up the list is if he continues to adapt his game to make the players around him better.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
His points are in the ballpark of Kobe and Jerry West. His assists are high for a big man. His rebounds are well above everyone on the list except for Elgin Baylor. Kareem won 5 titles, 1 Finals MVP, and 3 NBA MVPS. The thing that is most amazing to me is that these are just his Lakers stats! His tenure with the Lakers did not even start until he was 28! He had 6 seasons before that with the Bucks. During that time his stats were arguably even better! He won 1 title and 3 NBA MVPs while he was a Buck!
1.Magic Johnson
Magic only played 906 games. He is arguably the most versatile player in NBA history, even playing center his rookie year when Kareem was injured. He also is 2nd all time in triple doubles. Johnson won 5 titles, 3 Finals MVPs, and 3 NBA MVPs. Magic's stats are competitive with anyone on the list, but what separated him from the others was his ability to make everyone on his team a better player. Look at the 1990-1991 Lakers roster and see if it looks like a team that should have been in the NBA Finals.
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