The former North Carolina All American was on the receiving end of countless Magic Johnson outlet passes that turned into fast breaks and slam dunks. James Worthy, at 6'9" with lightning speed, was one of the best athletes to ever play for the Lakers. Wilkes continued to perform at a high level for the Lakers during the early part of the '80s, averaging 20-23 points for several seasons before starting to fade a bit in 1983 and eventually handing over the forward reigns to James Worthy. Nixon generally averaged about 16-17 points and between 7-8 assists during the time he played for the Lakers. Though Magic orchestrated the offense, his height allowed him to roam for rebounds while Nixon stood on the perimeter to knock down jumpers or pass off to Jamaal Wilkes or Jabbar. Norm Nixon was the perfect complement to Johnson at the point. They regularly scored between 112 and 118 points per game. Under the direction of Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley, the Lakers played an up tempo game that brought Laker fans to their feet and championship banners to their home court at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. The 1980's were perhaps the greatest in Lakers history and this starting five is as good as any to play the game.
Wilkes, known as Silk for his ultra smooth shooting touch, was a consistent 18-20 points per game scoring forward for L.A.
West was part of the record setting Lakers team that won 33 games in a row in the 1971-72 season, averaging 25.8 points and nearly 10 assists per game. West and Wilkes both thrived during the 1970s. Though it took the arrival of Johnson to win a title, Jabbar still dominated offensively, averaging around 24-28 point per game. in a trade with Milwaukee and promptly turned the center position into that of a scoring machine. From 1971-75, he averaged between 23 and 26 points per game and between 4.4-5.6 assists. Goodrich became an All Star in the '70s with L.A. His assist total went to 9.4 during the playoffs. In between, the magic man averaged 18 points, 7 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 36 minutes per game in the regular season. It started with a big hug of Jabbar after the team won its first game of the regular season against the Clippers and ended with the 6'9" Magic playing center in the NBA Finals against the Sixers, where he scored 42 points as a replacement for the injured Jabbar. Johnson had one of the most incredible rookie seasons ever. Magic came into the league at the start of the 1979 season so he qualifies for this decade. In our fantasy five, we can pick and choose who we want and I refuse to put any of these megawatt superstars on the bench in favor of someone like Happy Hairston or Jim McMillan. Yes, I know I have picked three guards and just one forward. He was 6'5" but could leap like Michael Jordan (maybe that should be the other way around). During the '61 season when he averaged 38.3 points, Baylor also pulled down 18.6 rebounds. during the '60s with the latter averaging 38 and 34 points per game in the 1961 and '62 seasons.īaylor averaged well over 20 points per game for 11 of his 14 seasons, all with the Lakers.
West and Baylor carried the scoring load for L.A. Traded early in the 1969 season from Detroit to L.A., Hairston went on to average 12.5 rebounds and 20.5 points on 49 percent shooting for the Lakers.Įlgin Baylor needs no introduction-he was a human highlight film before they had human highlight films. Happy Hairston was a terrific power forward who played in the NBA for 11 seasons, including his last six with the Lakers. 29, 26, 26 and 31 points per game over nine seasons. His scoring averages during that time: 30, 27, 28, 31, 31. Some pundits call him the best guard to ever play the game-he certainly is top five. West owned the '60s as the acknowledged leader of the Lakers. for the '68 season and promptly put up monster numbers of 21.1 rebounds and 20.5 points per game on 58 percent shooting. Wilt Chamberlain came into his own in the '60s. It would be another decade before they finally won a title in L.A.ĭick Barnett deserves to start on this team-in his three seasons as shooting guard for the Lakers, the 6'4" left handed jump shooter averaged 18, 18.4 and 13.8 points and was consistent on about 47 percent of his attempts. And they lost all six times to the Boston Celtics. The team went to the Finals six times in a row. From 1961 through 1970, the Lakers franchise became one of the most consistent in the NBA.
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