Top 10 Lakers Draft Picks of All-Time

Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view as the names of the first round draft picks are displayed above the stage during the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers have been blessed with some of the best players to ever play the game.  From a depth standpoint, the Lakers undoubtedly have the greatest list of players out of all of the NBA franchises, even the Celtics.  However, a large chunk of these players were not actually drafted by the Lakers as some were traded for during the off-season, or right before the trade-deadline.  Some of the great Lakers players that were traded to the purple and gold came at the peak of their careers, most noticeably Pau Gasol, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  Even Wilt Chamberlain, who showed major signs of slowing down in his first season as a Laker, averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds, the only Laker to ever do so.

But there are the homegrown players, the ones that received the ultimate call, being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers on draft night.  Some of these players, did not play one game of their careers without the purple and gold.

Honorable Mention:

Vern Mikkelsen–  We are going way back on this one.  In 1949 the Lakers used their territorial pick to select Mikkelsen out of Hamline University.  Mikkelsen was known for his defense, and was a six-time All-Star with the Lakers.  He was also a four time champion as a part of the dominant George Mikan-led Minneapolis teams.  Mikkelsen finished his career averaging an almost double-double, at 14.4 points and 9.4 rebounds, and played for the Lakers in all ten of his years in the NBA.

Norm Nixon– Nixon was selected by the Lakers with the 22nd pick in the 1977 NBA draft, and was actually the Lakers third pick in the first round.  Nixon ended up much more successful than the two selected in front of him, and won two championships with the Lakers.  Nixon was the fourth leading scorer, and the team leader in assists (yes, he averaged more than Magic Johnson) for the 1980 championship team.