16. Lamar Odom
In the midst of all the tragedy currently surrounding Lamar Odom, in case you forgot, he was an amazing basketball talent.
Brought over to Los Angeles in a package that sent Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat and Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant to Tinsel Town, he was immediately placed between a rock and a hard place. This is to say, that no matter how well he played, it would never hold a flame to what Shaq did for the Lakers and for the NBA.
That said, it didn’t stop Lamar from doing his darnedest as he served as one part of the Lakers’ three headed, seven foot Cerberus dog, alongside Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.
Odom was the stretch four before stretch fours were in and the best Lakers point forward since Magic. Armed with uncanny ball handling abilities for a man 6’10”, 230, without Odom there is likely no two-peat for the Lakers.
Paired with his kid like love for the game of basketball, another thing that made Lamar great was that he seemingly played every game like it was his last.
After being devastated by the Lakers when he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, Odom was never the same player, but while it lasted, he was truly something.
Next: No. 15 Norm Nixon