Lake Show Life
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: The all-time born in California team

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 28: Jamaal Wilkes #52 of the Los Angeles Lakers is honoured in a ceremony retiring his #52 during half time of a game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on December 28, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 28: Jamaal Wilkes #52 of the Los Angeles Lakers is honoured in a ceremony retiring his #52 during half time of a game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on December 28, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

C: Vern Mikkelsen

We continue our trend of building a tad undersized roster as Vern Mikkelsen slots in as our starting center. Mikkelsen was a power forward for the Minneapolis Lakers and is only 6’9″ but he is the best remaining big man in team history to have been born in California, so we are kind of stuck with him.

More from Lake Show Life

Stuck with him might not be the right thing to say, though, as he is still a Hall of Famer that was an instrumental part in the Lakers winning five championships in Minneapolis. He was the second-best player on those Lakers teams behind George Mikan and in front of Jim Pollard.

Mikkelsen played 10 seasons with the Lakers and was the definition of reliable for the Lakers in those 10 seasons. Mikkelsen played 699 of the 704 games that the Lakers had during his career, playing in 99.3 percent of his career games, or missing one game roughly every 140 games.

In those ten seasons, Mikkelsen was an all-star six times, an All-NBA member four times and averaged 14.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. The best season of his career was the 1954-55 season in which he averaged 18.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Mikkelsen is one of just 10 players in franchise history to average over 18 points and 10 rebounds in a single season. The most recent occurrence is Andrew Bynum and Anthony Davis is pretty dang close this season.

Next. The all-time "second best" squad. dark

Mikkelsen was born in Fresno.

Home/Lakers News