Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best power forwards in team history

DALLAS, TX - MARCH 12: Kobe Bryant #24 and Pau Gasol #16 of the Los Angeles Lakers react after a 96-91 win against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 12, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images) /

6. Lamar Odom (2004-11)

Lamar Odom‘s calling card on the court was versatility, which served as a reflection of his seven-year tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Odom came to L.A. as part of the Shaq-to-Miami trade in 2004. For the next three years, he was a full-time starter and the second-best player behind Kobe on teams that never made it past the first round of the playoffs.

After the Lakers picked up All-Star power forward Pau Gasol in 2008 and paired him with rising young center Andrew Bynum, Odom transitioned to an off-the-bench role on two championship teams in 2009 and 2010.

Odom then won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2011, his final season with the team.

Odom averaged 13.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for the Lakers.

As effective as he was in the paint, the 6’10” left-hander also possessed the ball-handling and passing skills of a guard, allowing him to operate as one of L.A.’s primary playmakers when needed. He recorded four triple-doubles as a Laker.

Odom was traded in 2011, and played his last NBA game in 2013. He nearly lost his life due to a series of drug-induced heart attacks and strokes in 2015, but he’s since recovered and this past summer the 39-year-old was training in an attempt to return to pro basketball.

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