Lakers: 50 Greatest Players in Franchise History
By Eric Yee
48. Darrall Imhoff
Darrall Imhoff is a strange case in terms of determining where he fits in the canon of Lakers history. For one, he spent only four seasons in Los Angeles while starting his career in New York and finishing it with a few other stops after. Moreover, he also was smack in the middle of a lineup with the Lakers that featured a number of all-time greats while also playing at a time when Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics were winning all the titles.
Even still, the 6-10 center had a widely productive stint with the Lakers over the course of his four seasons and 316 games as part of the organization. The big man averaged 7.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, and two assists per game over the course of his time in Los Angeles while shooting 47 percent on his field goal attempts. At his peak with the team, Imhoff made the 1967 NBA All-Star team as he averaged an impressive 10.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
Imhoff certainly gets overshadowed in terms of his greatness with the Lakers and for a number of reasons. Even so, he played for some of the great lesser-known teams from the 1960s in Los Angeles and was one of the staples for those teams in the frontcourt. He’s not going to break the top-45, but he undoubtedly deserves his spot on this list.
Next: No. 47 Elmore Smith