Anthony Davis needs five championships and 10+ years spent with the Los Angeles Lakers to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the third-best Laker of all-time and is, in my estimation, the third-best player in NBA history. If Kareem spent his entire career in LA then he would absolutely be the best Laker of all-time.
To pass one of the all-time greats, Davis would have to match the number of championships that Kareem won and would have to play at least 10 seasons with the Lakers. There is a caveat, though: Davis has to remain at an elite level for all of those championships.
If he wins championships four and five at an old age and he is not an All-NBA player then it is not the same. It is that prime level of play that would put him over Kareem, who for most of his five titles in LA, was the number two behind Magic.
AD was essentially the number two this season but he had better overall playoff numbers than LeBron. Keep that up, win four more and play at least 10 years in LA and he can stake his claim over Kareem.
Anthony Davis needs six championships and to spend the rest of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers to pass Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant
I am not here to debate about who is the better Laker all-time — Magic Johnson or Kobe Bryant. However, one thing is clear: it would take the same thing for Anthony Davis to pass them both.
The only reasonable way that we could put AD ahead of Kobe and Magic is if Davis won six championships and spent the rest of his career with the Lakers. Even then, fans of the 2020s will clash with Kobe fans of the 2000s who will clash with Magic fans of the 1980s, debating who is the Lakers GOAT.
Personally, I think this would be enough. Not only would it make him a Lakers all-time great but if he were to pull this off then he would be one of the 10 best players of all-time. Six championships is nothing to scoff at.
It is a big mountain to climb. Personally, if I had to give my best bet, I think AD winds up between Jerry West and Shaquille O’Neal.