Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best small forwards in team history

The Los Angeles Lakers have been fortunate enough to suit up some of the greatest small forwards in NBA history, from the 1950s to present day.

Leave it up to the Los Angeles Lakers to have such an embarrassment of riches that a player who some consider the greatest of all-time may not even be the second-best at his position for the Lakers.

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You think I’m talking about LeBron James? I could be. Or I could be talking about Wilt Chamberlain.

Both legendary superstars have or had at one point in their career a decent argument for overall “G.O.A.T.,” and yet their time with the Lakers has them often ranked behind more tenured L.A. legends.

For Wilt, who played five seasons in L.A., he has Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (14 seasons) and Shaquille O’Neal (eight seasons) to compete with to be considered the greatest center in franchise history.

For LeBron, entering his second season with the Lakers, he at least has Elgin Baylor (14 seasons) and James Worthy (12 seasons) to overcome if he wants the label as L.A.’s greatest small forward.

How to rank Hall of Famers against each other always comes down to your personal criteria, and how much value you put on championships, stats, skills and other factors.

The most skilled small forward in Lakers history (LeBron) may not be considered the overall greatest. The most successful in terms of winning (Worthy) may not grab the top spot either. The most consistently productive (Baylor) also doesn’t have a clear path to No. 1 on the list.

All three have a credible argument, though.

With that, here are the 10 best small forwards in Lakers history.