Top 5 Lakers Small Forwards of All Time

Hannah Kulik

Dec 10, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Knicks small forward Metta World Peace reacts in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are vulnerable at the small forward position as they prepare to open training camp later this month. At the moment, it looks like Kobe Bryant will be moved to the wing to try and fill that hole.

Bryant is not expected to play every game and his minutes will be reduced when he does. Nick Young is slated as the backup and rookie Anthony Brown is expected to get time throughout the season.

Recent reports have the Lakers signing Metta World Peace, but his NBA career was thought to be coming to a close two years ago.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the 16 Lakers championship teams is dominant centers and superstar guards. From George Mikan to Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Shaquille O’Neal, the Lakers have never won a title without a dominant big man. Those championship teams also featured Hall-of-Fame guards the like of Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Magic Johnson, and Bryant.

What about the small forwards on those teams?

Here is a list of the top five players at the three position in Lakers history. Three of the selections are obvious, but two are open to debate.

Next: Jim Pollard

5. Jim Pollard

Many of today’s Lakers fans have never heard of Pollard, who played in the 1940s and ’50s for the Minneapolis Lakers before the franchised moved to Los Angeles. Pollard was the sidekick of the first great center in NBA history, Mikan. They led the Lakers to five championships between 1948 and 1954. Pollard was selected to four All-Star teams along the way.

Pollard was a star athlete at Stanford and helped his team win the NCAA Championship in 1942. He entered the armed services during World War II before playing professionally in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) which was later merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the NBA.

In 1952, Pollard was voted as the best player in the league by his peers during the short period of the award’s existence. He played in the NBA for six seasons before retiring. Pollard would go on to become a coach at the collegiate and professional levels.

Pollard averaged 12.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 385 NBA games. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. He is also a member of the Stanford and Bay Area Halls of Fame.

The passage of time has rendered Pollard a mere footnote in history, but there was a day when he was considered one of the top players, if not the best, during the first decade of the NBA’s existence. He helped secure a future for the fledgling league and all the NBA players who followed.

Next: Robert Horry

4. Robert Horry

This selection may be controversial, but it is deserved. Horry, who played both power forward and small forward, may not have been the center of attention, or even a starter, but he was the quintessential finisher and that is what counts. With the game on the line, where one final shot would determine victory or defeat in a crucial game, you would want Horry with the ball in his hands taking that shot.

Horry played on multiple teams during his career, but in the hearts and minds of fans in Los Angeles, he will always be remembered as a Laker. He was a key member of the O’Neal/Bryant teams that was so dominant and won three straight championships from 2000 to 2002. In total, he played for teams that won an astounding eight NBA titles.

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Horry was a star for the Alabama Crimson Tide in college. He led his team to three consecutive SEC tournament titles and two Sweet 16 appearances in the NCAA championships. He was a member of the SEC All-Defensive Team and All-Academic teams. He set a school record for blocked shots. He is a member of the Alabama sports Hall of Fame.

The Lakers traded Cedric Ceballos for Horry in January 1997. He stayed with the team for six seasons which included three titles. In the championship seasons he played off the bench behind A.C. Green (2000), Horace Grant (2001), and Samaki Walker (2002), but he was almost always on the court in clutch moments and in the playoffs.

Horry is responsible for one of the top moments in Lakers history. In Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the hated Sacramento Kings, the outcome of the series was in doubt and the Lakers could not afford to lose the game. With time running out O’Neal and Bryant both missed shots and the ball was batted out to Horry who was standing calmly at the top of the key. As the game clock was expiring Horry lofted a rainbow that found its mark, and the Lakers won in dramatic fashion and went on to win the series and eventually another title.

In his final season with the team, Horry uncharacteristically played poorly in the post-season and Lakers’ management lost confidence in him. They thought his career was over, so they made no effort to re-sign him and let him leave in free agency.

Horry, of course, had the last laugh. He went on to play a prominent role in winning two more championships with the San Antonio Spurs. He was the same old clutch performer, hitting key shots at crucial moments including in the playoffs and finals. For his career, he made more three pointers in NBA finals than any other player in NBA history, eclipsing the previous record held by Michael Jordan.

For all his accomplishments in his career with the Lakers, Horry deserves to be recognized as one of the team’s top forwards of all time.

Next: Jamaal Wilkes

Jul 29, 2014; El Segundo, CA, USA; New head coach Byron Scott (right) shakes hands with former Lakers player Jamaal Wilkes at a press conference to announce Scott as Los Angeles Lakers coach at Toyota Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. Jamaal Wilkes

Simply put, Wilkes is one of the greatest basketball players in California’s history. A success on and off the court, Wilkes won every award imaginable at each level of competition. Perhaps one anecdote sums it up best: When asked his idea of the perfect basketball player, legendary UCLA coach John Wooden started to list key traits but then caught himself and concluded: “Why not just take Jaamal Wilkes and let it go at that.”

Wilkes was born in Berkeley but raised in Ventura, California, the son of a Baptist minister. He achieved every conceivable accolade during his prep career at Ventura High School, but his family moved to Santa Barbara before his senior year so he played his final prep season for Santa Barbara High School where he again was the ultimate star.

He later became a two time All American at UCLA, where he was part of the team that won an NCAA record of 88 consecutive games, a feat that will likely never be matched. Teamed with Bill Walton, the Bruins won NCAA titles in 1972 and 1973.

Drafted by the Golden State Warriors, Wilkes won Rookie-of-the Year Honors in the NBA in 1975, a year in which the Warriors also won the NBA title. He won three more titles with the Lakers in 1980, 1982, and 1985. Everyone remembers Johnson’s 42-point effort in the decisive game of the 1980 finals, when Abdul-Jabbar was injured, but Wilkes scored 37 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in that game.

Such was his career. He was so smooth (his nickname was Silk) that he was at times overlooked. But those who played with and against him were fully aware of his incredible skill. When he retired he became a successful businessman and remains a visible member of the Lakers’ fraternity of iconic former players.

Today, his jersey hangs proudly from the raptors of the Staples Center which is precise where Wilkes deserves to be: alongside the greatest Lakers players of all time.

Next: James Worthy

Sep 29, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) talks with James Worthy during media day at the team practice facility in El Segundo. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

2. James Worthy

For most of his career Worthy played “Robin” to Johnson’s “Batman,” so no one really knows what he might have achieved had he been the “main man” in his prime. Still, he was an awfully good NBA player, and no one would dispute his ranking as the number 2 small forward in franchise history.

Born in Gastonia, Georgia, Worthy led his high school team to the state championship game. For the season he averaged 21.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. He was a McDonald’s and Parade Magazine prep All American.

Worthy played three seasons for the North Caroline Tar Heels. His first year ended prematurely when he broke his ankle. As a sophomore, he led his team to the NCAA finals were his team finished as runner-up. His third season was the charm, as the Tar Heels were national champion and Worthy was selected Outstanding Player in the tournament.

The Lakers had won the NBA title the year before, but in an odd twist, they ended up with the first choice in the 1982 draft where they made Worthy the No. 1 selection. During the course of his career, which ended in 1993, the team won three NBA titles and Worthy appeared in seven consecutive All-Star games.

Worthy may have played second fiddle to Johnson but he was formidable in his own right, often at his best in the playoffs. His speed on the fast break came to define the Showtime Era for the Lakers. When Johnson shocked the world with his retirement in November 1991,Worthy finally had the opportunity to be the team’s undisputed leader.

Worthy soldiered on for three more seasons but was often injured and the team foundered. Unfortunately, Johnson’s sudden absence and injuries took their toll on Worthy, so the team foundered. He retired in November 1994, although injuries to his knees and ankle had long since robbed him of his trademark quickness.

After his retirement, Worthy was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame and voted one of the top 50 players in league history. Eventually the Lakers retired his number 42 jersey, where it hangs next to those of other team legends.

Worthy continues to be a well-known figure to young Lakers fans today by virtue of his role as a local broadcaster. In recent years he has anchored Time Warner Cable’s Access Sportsnet Lakers where he appears before and after every game providing analysis of Laker games and the occasional interview.

Next: Elgin Baylor

1. Elgin Baylor

Baylor is one of the greatest players in NBA history and one of the most beloved players in Lakers history for anyone who saw him play. Until knee injuries forced him to retire, Baylor’s incredible athleticism made him the precursor to today’s modern player.

After an outstanding three-year collegiate career, Baylor was drafted No. 1 by the Minneapolis Lakers. Baylor took the team from last place to first in his rookie season, averaging 24.9 points, 15 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He was among the league leaders in each category.

After the team moved to Los Angeles, Baylor averaged 34.8, 38.3, and 34 points per game the next three seasons. On Nov. 15, 1960, Baylor scored a then-NBA record 71 points and grabbed 25 rebounds, breaking his scoring record of 63 the year prior. He grabbed more than 30 rebounds twice despite being only 6′ 5″ and 225 lbs. Baylor also scored a NBA record 61 points in Game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals.

Baylor was the league’s most exciting player throughout the 1960s. Baylor and West formed what might have been the best one-two punch in league history. They appeared in eight NBA Finals, seven of those coming against the Boston Celtics dynasty.

Baylor is still the Lakers career leader in points per game, total rebounds and points per game average in a single season. He has few equals in NBA history.

Next: Lakers Embracing Late Blooming Stars

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Hannah Kulik

I attend Loyola Marymount University where I have been an on-air radio and television personality. I am a passionate Lakers fan and hope to work on-camera for Time Warner Cable Access Sportsnet Lakers channel in the future. Aside from my interest in the Lakers I have been a competitive equestrian in the Arabian horse world for a number of years.