Los Angeles Lakers: 3 biggest one-hit-wonders in team history

1. Adrian Dantley

To be fair, Adrian Dantley definitely did not have a one-hit-wonder-type career overall, as he is a Hall of Famer and was one of the greatest scorers in the league in the 1980s. However, all of that prime came outside of Los Angeles, with the Lakers only getting a brief taste before Dantley exploded elsewhere.

After being named the Rookie of the Year, Dantley was traded by the team that drafted him, the Buffalo Braves, to the Indiana Pacers during the 1977 season. After just 23 games with the Pacers Dantley was traded again, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played 56 games with the Lakers.

Dantley played more than one season, to be fair, but either season was a complete season. After playing 56 games in his first half-season with the Lakers Dantley played 60 games for the team in 1978. After a solid season, he found his fourth team in as many seasons, the Utah Jazz.

Dantley was great with the Lakers, averaging 18.3 points per game during his tenure in the purple and gold. At such a young age, Dantley appeared to be a great long-time scoring option for the Lakers.

But he wasn’t, he went to Utah and that is where his prime truly began. Dantley averaged over 30 points per game in his first four seasons in Utah and ended up averaging 24.3 points per game in his career.

He definitely was not a one-hit-wonder for his entire career, but for the Los Angeles Lakers, they enjoyed a one-hit-wonder effort from Dantley.