The 10 Greatest Lakers in history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)

1. Shaquille O'Neal - 28.9

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Shaquille O'Neal is at the top of this list. When you look at various Lakers franchise leaderboards and records held, Shaq tends to be at or near the top of many of them.

That is because he played with the team during his best years as a professional. Coming over to LA from the Orlando Magic in the summer of 1996, Shaq had just earned three straight All-NBA selections and was already one of the best centers in the league. In joining the Lakers, he teamed up with Kobe Bryant and the rest is history.

Shaq played a big part in LA rattling off three championships in a row in the 2000s. In the three Finals series the Lakers won, Shaq put up an astounding 35.7 points and 14.9 rebounds, dominating his matchups and showing that he was the clear-cut best player on the floor each time out.

His play style shows once again how PER tends to skew towards big men. In his time as a Laker, Shaq always scored efficiently and was able to accumulate points and rebounds by being the most physically imposing and dominant center of his era. He may not be the greatest Laker ever, but it is clear to see why he is one of the most statistically sound in franchise history.