The 10 Greatest Lakers in history, ranked by Player Efficiency Rating (PER)
By Will Eudy
6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 23.4
Joining the Lakers one-third of the way through his career, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar came to LA as the clear best player in the world. After earning five All-NBA selections in his first six seasons, Kareem left the Milwaukee Bucks and decided to move his life to the City of Angels.
In doing so, he provided a huge lift to a Lakers squad that missed the playoffs the previous season. He and Gail Goodrich immediately became the team's top scoring duo. With Kareem's nearly unstoppable "skyhook" as his signature move, LA took a step up and began to become a playoff regular once again.
With Kareem as the Lakers' starting center, the team took home five championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. The fact that he was able to fill up the stat sheet so consistently points to why only five Lakers have recorded a higher number than him.
In the Lakers' record books, Kareem is first in two-point field goals, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, blocks, second in made field goals, and top five in numerous other categories. His high-level play late into his career makes it no wonder he holds such a high PER. Kareem is a cornerstone in the Lakers' franchise history, and LA's basketball legacy cannot be discussed without mentioning him.