Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary.
During the Lakers’ 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years.
The Lakers were going for back-to-back NBA championships during the 1982-83 season, but midway through the season, they had a depth problem. They lacked an adequate backup center, and big man Bob McAdoo, who was such a key for them the previous season, sustained an injury and missed the last two months of the regular season.
Chicago Bulls for Dwight Jones, a lanky 6-foot-10 power forward/center who was in his 10th pro season.
He averaged 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes a game for the rest of the season. However, he saw his playing time go down during the playoffs. While the Lakers, who also had to endure a season-ending injury to Hall of Fame forward James Worthy, reached the NBA Finals for the third time in four years, they got swept there by the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Jones was simply unable to help them contain Moses Malone, the 76ers Hall of Fame center who won the league MVP award and manhandled Kareem Abdul-Jabbar en route to earning the finals MVP award.
