Los Angeles Lakers: 10 best power forwards in team history

3. Rudy LaRusso (1959-67)

“Roughhouse Rudy” followed in the footsteps and filled the shoes of legendary Lakers power forward Vern Mikkelsen, carving out a borderline Hall of Fame career in his own right.

The same year that the six-time All-Star Mikkelsen retired, the Lakers drafted Rudy LaRusso out of Dartmouth. He went on to earn three All-Star nods with the Lakers in eight seasons.

LaRusso rose to prominence as the No. 3 option on the Los Angeles Lakers behind Elgin Baylor and Jerry West. The trio would be called a “Big 3” in today’s NBA.

He helped the Lakers make it to the NBA Finals four times, but each time they lost to the Celtics.

LaRusso averaged 14.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in eight seasons for the Lakers. His individual highlight was the night in 1962 when he scored 50 points in a win over Bob Pettit‘s St. Louis Hawks, a game for which Baylor and West were both out of the lineup.

LaRusso also recorded a 30-point, 21-rebound game in 1961 against Wilt Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors, another night when Baylor was out of the lineup.

Baylor, West and LaRusso were the only three teammates to have 50-point games in the same season until the Golden State Warriors‘ trio of Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson accomplished the feat last season.

The Lakers traded LaRusso in 1967 and he actually finished his career setting career-highs in scoring with the San Francisco Warriors, with whom he earned two more All-Star nods and was an All-Defensive Team selection.

Rudy LaRusso passed away in 2004.