Los Angeles Lakers: 10 greatest small forwards in Lakers history

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Los Angeles Lakers:10 greatest small forwards in Lakers history

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No. 7: Rick Fox

Foxy was one of those players whose value to his team exceeds his rather modest statistics.
In 7 seasons with the Lakers, he averaged double figures in points only once. That occurred during his initial year with the club when he started all 82 games and also established his Laker highs in minutes played, shooting percentage and steals.

It might appear that his career went downhill from there, but that assumption would be incorrect. He was a major contributor to the Lakers “three-peat” title run from 2000-02, the first year as a reserve backing up Rice, the next two seasons as a starter.

Fox, who was known for his good looks, was also somewhat paradoxically a scrappy, hard-nosed defender, a no-nonsense player who gave full effort all the time. Every title team needs a player who doesn’t mind doing the dirty work, and Rick filled that role with the Lakers. He was consistent and reliable, and played in all 82 games 4 times in 7 seasons, and in 77 games another year.

But Fox also was one of the team’s better 3-point shooters and averaged a respectable 8.7 points for LA before retiring to test the Hollywood waters.

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