The Los Angeles Lakers have long been one of the greatest franchises in NBA history, boasting multiple championships and Hall of Famers to boot. Whether it was the Showtime Lakers led by Magic Johnson, or the era of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the men donning the purple and gold have always been in contention for the biggest prizes year-in and year-out.
And, such has been the nature of their success, that it naturally means they have often had some of the game’s greatest ever players – particularly at the center position. From Wilt Chamberlain in the mid-20th century, to the aforementioned O’Neal, the Lakers have arguably had the greatest collection of big men of any team in the NBA.
But who out of them all can claim to be the best of the lot? Well, we’ve taken a look at the 10 greatest centers in Los Angeles Lakers history, so find out below.
Ranking Factors
- Individual awards like MVPs, Defensive Player of the Years, All-Star appearances and All-NBA selections etc
- Team prizes like championships won
- Impact and legacy on the Lakers
11
Mychal Thompson
Mychal Thompson may now best be known for being the father of Golden State Warriors legend Klay Thompson, but that isn’t to discredit the very successful career he enjoyed in his own right, particularly as a Los Angeles Laker. The 6 foot 11 star would win two NBA championships while wearing the purple and gold in 1987 and 1988, proving to be a superb back-up to number one option Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Indeed, in Game 6 of the 1987 NBA Finals, he poured in 15 points while collecting nine rebounds in his 37 minutes, helping the Lakers to win the series.
10
Vlade Divac
The 26th overall pick of the 1989 NBA Draft, Vlade Divac went on to become one of the greatest European players in league history. Indeed, he is one of just seven stars to have recorded at least 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocks, joining an illustrious list that includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Pau Gasol.
Divac was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 1990, but enjoyed his best campaign with the Lakers in the 1994/1995 season, when he averaged 16 points per game (a career-high) and 2.2 blocks per game too (another career-high).
9
Bob McAdoo
Standing at just 6 foot 9, Bob McAdoo was rather undersized for a center, but that didn’t stop him from being one of the most dominant players of his time in the NBA. By the time he had joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1981, McAdoo had already been several years removed from his MVP win in 1975, as well as his stretch of five years of making the All-Star team from 1974 to 1978.
Nevertheless, McAdoo was instrumental in helping the Lakers to success when he was there, winning two titles there. His performances in the 1982 playoffs success saw him pour in 16.7 points per game in the post-season, and while he may not have started, was a valuable piece off the bench.
8
Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard makes this list despite only playing one-year spells at three different times in his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. His first stint with the franchise saw him end the season being named to the All-NBA Third Team as well as leading the league in rebounding, but it was his second time around with the team that saw him really lay down a marker.
In the 2019/2020 season, Howard would produce one of his throwback performances to his Orlando Magic days when he matched up against Nikola Jokic from the start in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. The big man would finish the game with 12 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action, helping the Lakers to the win and taking a 3-1 lead in the series. The Lakers would then go on to win the title and hand Howard his first ever championship.
7
Anthony Davis
The most recent Los Angeles Lakers center to make this list, Anthony Davis formed a potent duo with LeBron James to deliver an NBA title in the bubble. Though it has been publicly known he has preferred to play at the four, Davis also soaked up minutes as the team’s de facto number five too.
In terms of pure skill and impact on the team when fit, there are very few players who come close to matching what AD did. Not since Shaquille O’Neal had a Lakers player recorded a 40-point, 20-rebound game until Davis did so, while he was named to the All-Star and All-NBA Teams multiple times during his tenure with the franchise.
6
Pau Gasol
After the exit of Shaquille O’Neal, it was not until Pau Gasol arrived that Kobe Bryant truly had a superstar center and running mate that he could really work with. Gasol had already made a name himself with the Memphis Grizzlies at the point he joined the Lakers in 2008, and he quickly set about making his mark with his new team.
He would help the Lakers to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, while he was also named to the All-Star team and All-NBA Third Team in both those years. Gasol would also add an All-NBA Second Team nomination in 2011, and his ability to play at both the four and the five, made him one of the greatest Lakers in modern history.
5
George Mikan
One of the early pioneers of basketball, George Mikan was instantly recognisable for being the man who played with the round glasses. The 6 foot 10 star was a prolific rebouder and shot blocker, while his hook shot helped change the game too. In fact, it was he who really brought the under-handed free-throw shooting technique into the game, long before Rick Barry made it more of his own signature move.
Playing for the Minneapolis Lakers as they were known back then, he would win five championship rings, as well as being named the league’s MVP in 1948. Not only that, but Mikan would also lead the league in scoring for three years in a row while he was the rebounding leader in 1953.
4
Wilt Chamberlain
One of the most dominant players in NBA history, Wilt Chamberlain’s legacy not only on the Los Angeles Lakers but on the league as a whole, is that he holds some incredible records that may never be broken again. Chamberlain would spend 1968 to 1973 with the Lakers, and it would be there that he would win his second championship of his career alongside one of the greatest backcourts in NBA history, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich.
While Wilt may not have given the Lakers the best years of his career, he was still hugely instrumental, including in the 1972 title-winning season where he once again led the league in rebounds and field goal percentage.
3
Shaquille O’Neal
Making his way to second on this list, Shaquille O’Neal can count himself as the most dominant player in NBA history, let alone just with the Los Angeles Lakers. The center was arguably the key reason behind the Lakers’ three-peat from 2000 to 2002, with his three successive Finals MVP awards a testament to that fact too.
O’Neal would win his one and only MVP award in 2000, which saw him lead the league in scoring, be named to the All-NBA First Team, win the All-Star Game MVP award and be named to the All-Defensive Second Team too. O’Neal was a powerhouse who opposition defenders couldn’t stop on their own, and inevitably, whenever they sent a double team over, he could just kick it out to Kobe Bryant or one of the team’s other shooters.
2
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
And now, the man we have ranked as the greatest center in Los Angeles Lakers history, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The winner of six MVP awards – including five during his stint with the Lakers – Abdul-Jabbar made it to the NBA’s All-Star team 19 times across the course of his career. A supreme scorer who, of course, led the league in total points until LeBron James came around, Abdul-Jabbar also actually finished as the rebounding leader in 1976 and the man with the most amount of blocks four times.
His no.33 jersey is quite rightly retired by the Lakers after a glorious, trophy-laden spell that saw him win five championships with them, including winning the Finals MVP award in 1985 too. His place at the top of both this list, and on the greatest centers of all-time, is all but secure.
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