Los Angeles Lakers: 10 greatest small forwards in Lakers history

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Portrait of the Minneapolis Lakers ca. 1950. Left to right are Slater Martin, Don Carlson, Herman Schaefer, Vern Mikkelson, George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Arnie Ferrin, and Tony Jaros. (Photo by © Minnesota Historical Society/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) /

No. 4: Jim Pollard

A true oldie but goodie, he was a mainstay on all 5 Minneapolis Laker championship teams.
Few readers have ever seen him play, but he apparently was quite talented. Like his teammate, dominating center George Mikan, Pollard was widely considered to be one of the best players of the early 1950’s.

A tremendous 6-foot-4 athlete who was nicknamed “The Kangaroo Kid” for his outlandish jumping ability, Jim was one of the first players to play above the rim. He was also one of the fastest players in the league and often led the charge downcourt to become the finisher on the fast-break.

Pollard was an excellent ball-handler who was adept at beating his opponent off the dribble while having the agility to finish at the hoop. Plus he was known as a top defender.
He was a four-time All-Star, albeit in a 10-team league. He consistently scored between 10.8 and 15.5 PPG, and over his 7-season Lakers career he averaged 13.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

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