1. Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Round 1, Pick 1, 1979)
Like there was ever any doubt that Magic Johnson would be at the top of this list. By any calculation, Magic is one of the three-to-five best basketball players to ever walk on the planet. He ushered in an unprecedented era of sustained success and championships for the Lakers with the arrival of Showtime and did so with a smile and brilliance that is still regarded to this day.
The accolades and superlatives that could be handed out to Magic are essentially endless. For his career, 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. Despite not being a great shooter or even a terrific all-around scorer, his ability to make plays and facilitate was unmatched at the time and has probably never been rivaled in the history of the game. Players of his size and athleticism just aren’t made as skilled and intelligent in the constructs of a basketball game as Magic was.
Until LeBron James, the NBA had never seen a player with the effective versatility of Magic. He could essentially play any position that he wanted or that the Lakers needed him to and play it at an elite level. Five rings over his shortened career don’t hurt his case, either, but there’s no real debate that Magic is the greatest draft pick in the history of the Lakers.