Lakers Mount Rushmore

[SK21209]

1. Kobe has to be the first guy included. He's not the best player in Laker history, but he's the most synonymous with the Lakers and Los Angeles. He resonates with Lakers fans in a way that has been replicated very, very rarely in modern sports.

2. Magic is the next guy. Kareem was already here, but the Lakers didn't become the Lakers until Magic arrived. All the glamour franchise stuff started with Magic.

3. West has to be next to me. He and Elgin were the first LA Lakers superstars, but West gets the nod for what he did for the franchise after he retired IMO. He made the playoffs all three years he coached the team in the 70s, and then moved into the front office where he helped assemble the 80's championship teams as well as the Shaq/Kobe championship teams.

4. The fourth one is the tough one, IMO the first three are unassailable. Its between Kareem and Shaq for me, and I'll go with Kareem. Each were the best player in the league for some portion of their stint on the Lakers, but Kareem ultimately had more success here than Shaq.

[Cavsfansince84]

1. Kobe has to be the first guy included. He's not the best player in Laker history, but he's the most synonymous with the Lakers and Los Angeles. He resonates with Lakers fans in a way that has been replicated very, very rarely in modern sports.

2. Magic is the next guy. Kareem was already here, but the Lakers didn't become the Lakers until Magic arrived. All the glamour franchise stuff started with Magic.

3. West has to be next to me. He and Elgin were the first LA Lakers superstars, but West gets the nod for what he did for the franchise after he retired IMO. He made the playoffs all three years he coached the team in the 70s, and then moved into the front office where he helped assemble the 80's championship teams as well as the Shaq/Kobe championship teams.

4. The fourth one is the tough one, IMO the first three are unassailable. Its between Kareem and Shaq for me, and I'll go with Kareem. Each were the best player in the league for some portion of their stint on the Lakers, but Kareem ultimately had more success here than Shaq.

I'm not saying the bolded part is wrong, since this is somewhat subjective but I do think there's a heavy dose of recency bias included in it. I think most Lakers fans over 50 would likely say the same about Magic. More so, you could say that Kobe forced his way to LA due in large part to the mystique that Magic had helped create around the Lakers. So on one hand you can give Kobe credit for being a Laker for so long and keeping them relevant but I think Magic is more integral to what the Lakers have become over the last 50 years. That's my view, not that you are wrong and I am right but just giving my own opinion. I think Lakers fans who didn't grow up with Magic won't really understand the connection or emotions older fans feel towards him as a Laker. Mikan is a hard one to discuss just because I think most lack perspective on him.

[oaktownwarriors87]

Kobe Kareem Magic West

I don't get the lack of love for Kareem


Only Kobe has played more games as a Laker
Only Kobe has played more minutes as a Laker
Only Kobe and West have scored more points as a Laker
Only Kobe and West have more WS as a Laker
Only Kobe and Magic have more VORP as a Laker

Kobe, Magic and Kareem are also the only players with 5 rings as Lakers

Only cause Mikan and Pollard have 6

When did they get the 6th? I'm only seeing 5 (4 in the NBA and 1 in the BAA)

Serious question. I'm ok with being wrong. I don't know a lot about that time.

[penbeast0]

I think Mikan has to be on Mount Rushmore because he was the one that started the franchise. I'd say West was the face of the franchise; of course, I started watching basketball in the 60s. Magic and Kobe were both arguably the best known players of their era, at least among the top two though where West was in the 3-4 area clearly behind Wilt and Russell so I'd put them both on.

Kareem and Shaq were also the best known players for a period in the NBA, Shaq for less time; Kareem for a reasonably long stretch as a Buck rather than as a Laker. I'd take West because the others (a) both played for other franchises and (b) Kareem overlaps with Magic as the face of the franchise a lot.

They would be my 5th/6th with Baylor and LeBron as the next two contenders. Baylor gets underrated because modern analytics don't like him as much but I have read stories about how he singlehandedly (not really but in the press accounts) saved the franchise when Bob Short was looking at possibly closing it down or moving it so I'd have him ahead of LeBron who I really think of as a Cleveland player despite his years in Miami and LA.

[Johnny Tomala]

Mikan, West, Magic, Kobe.