10 best point guards in Los Angeles Lakers history
By Amaar Burton
8. Lucius Allen (1974-77)
Before he went pro, Lucius Allen was the point guard on arguably the greatest college basketball team of all time — the late-1960s UCLA squads led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and coach John Wooden.
In college, Allen won national titles with the Bruins 1967 and 1968. His senior season was lost due to a drug suspension.
In the pros, Allen began his career in Seattle, then teamed up with Kareem again to win a championship in Milwaukee before returning to L.A. as a Laker in 1974. In three seasons with the purple and gold — teaming up with Kareem again for two of them — Allen averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
Allen’s best playoff game for the Los Angeles Lakers was also his last.
In Game 4 of the 1977 Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Allen had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The top-seeded Lakers lost and were swept out of the postseason by the eventual champions.
That summer, Allen was traded to the Kansas City Kings, where he finished his career playing for his hometown team.