Los Angeles Lakers Top 5 trades and picks
Los Angeles Lakers are one of the best and most expensive franchises the National Basketball Association has to offer. The Lakers are extremely successful because they have made outstanding trades and drafts over a period of many years.
Getting hold of legends like Magic Johnson is just one example of their amazing picks over the years. Lakers have in fact won 16 NBA championship titles, standing right underneath the Boston Celtics. The team’s legacy is known to be star studded with players like Elgin Baylor, George Mikan and Chamberlain who started off with the Lakers in the 50’s.
Although the Boston Celtics might have won more NBA championship titles than the L.A. Lakers they certainly have not won as many playoff series or conference titles.
Looking back into history let’s take a peek at L.A Lakers top 5 trade and picks;
Harold Hairston aka Happy Hairston was traded by the Detroit piston in 1969 to the L.A Lakers for Bill Hewitt. Hairston is considered a legend amongst legends due to the fact he is one of the oldest players of Los Angeles Lakers. He was 6feet 7inches tall and played as a forward. In the 1971 NBA season he made 1,045 points mostly by rebounds. He helped the Lakers to win the NBA championship title by 1972 against New York Knicks. Meanwhile he played 11 seasons in the NBA before retiring.
Bob McAdoo was already a five-time All-Star and three-time scoring champ, he was considered NBA rookie of the year in 1973. Before the Lakers got a hold of him, he played for the New Jersey Nets. Bob Played a total of four seasons with the Lakers in which he won 2 seasons with them; in 1982 and 1985. He was ranked amongst the top scorers and also one of the most regarded centre of Lakers. Although he left the Lakers shortly he gave them two championship titles. He was one of those players who loved hopping from one team to another, leaving his mark in five teams before joining the Lakers and making a detour around four teams after leaving it.
One of the all time favourites of Lakers fans is Don Ford. Before being drafted Don played for the University of California, he was drafted as the No.1 pick overall in the NBA 82’ draft season. He joined in when the L.A Lakers were one of the most feared teams in the league, with players on board like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy. Ford played a major role in helping the team win the 85, 87 and 88’ NBA championship title.
Two years ago the Lost Angeles Lakers were in dire need of a promising centre who could be paired up with Kobe Bryant. Soon they found the perfect match Pau Gasol, who was drafted as the 3rd pick in the 2001 NBA drafting season by the Atlanta Hawks. Pau was traded into the Lakers by Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kwame Brown. Pau Gasol, the Spaniard, has helped the Lakers reach the finals in 2008 which they lost to their long term rivals, the Boston Celtics. However, Pau did not give up his duo with Kobe and took the team to win two consecutive matches in the following years, 2009 and 2010.
Kobe Bryant, who would have thought a 17 year old dreamer, would become one of the most furious and relentless basketball players in the NBA history. He was selected in the 1996 NBA draft as the 13th pick overall in the first round by the Charlotte Hornets, then later traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Kobe who is considered to be the best player in NBA right now was one of the fortunate young players to play against a legend like Michael Jordan. However Bryant is known for his inflated ego which is the size of the universe but nonetheless the aspiring player has led the Los Angeles Lakers to win 5 NBA championships literally single handily, while achieving more than 20 awards and titles over his 14 year career with the league.
Now we know why Los Angeles Lakers is currently ranked as the top NBA team and carries on to dominate the league for more than 50 years. It is only because of their understanding of how important it is to pick what player for what position.
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