Los Angeles Lakers: 50 Greatest Players in Lakers History (Updated 2023)
By Ed Schrenzel
Greatest Lakers of all time: 20- Jim Pollard
- 7 seasons, 438 games, 5 titles
- 13.2 PPG
- 7.8 RPG
- 3.2 APG
Few readers have ever seen him play, but Jim was a mainstay on all 5 Minneapolis Lakers championship teams. Like his teammate, dominating center George Mikan, Pollard was widely considered to be one of the best players of the early 1950’s.
He was 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.
He was also 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.
Pollard was a four-time all-star, albeit in a 10-team league, and was a Hall of Fame inductee despite his modest statistics by modern standards. Throughout his 7-season Lakers career he consistently scored between 10.8 and 15.5 PPG. Overall he ranks 17th in RPG, 20th in APG, 29th in PPG and 24th in total points.