Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best small forwards in team history

4. Jamaal Wilkes (1977-85)

Any Los Angeles Lakers fan worth their weight in purple and gold can tell you all about how rookie Magic Johnson started at center in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and led the Lakers to a title-clinching victory in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Fewer fans will remember that Jamaal Wilkes was just as important to that victory, pouring in 37 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to cap a series in which he averaged 21.3 points (just a hair below Magic’s 21.5 per game) and 7.7 rebounds.

That game was actually the best of Wilkes’ Hall of Fame career in terms of scoring output.

Wilkes was already a star in L.A. before he joined the Lakers.

He grew up in California and was a high school phenom before going on to win two national championships at UCLA, where he was a two-time All-American.

Wilkes began his pro career with the Golden State Warriors, winning Rookie of the Year and helping the team win a championship. He was an All-Star and All-Defensive Team pick in his second year, then after three seasons he left the Warriors to sign with the Lakers as a free agent.

(Side note: Wilkes joined the Lakers two months after L.A. had defeated the Warriors in a second-round playoff series. So for all the Kevin Durant critics out there: It’s been done before.)

Two more championships (1980, 1982) and two more All-Star selections came Wilkes’ way in L.A. He had another big-yet-overlooked performance in the 1982 NBA Finals decisive game, scoring a team-high 27 points in Game 6 against the Sixers.

Wilkes averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in his eight seasons with the Lakers before he was waived in 1984. He played one final season with the L.A. Clippers before retiring.