Selecting the Los Angeles Lakers’ Mount Rushmore
By Cal Durrett
Los Angeles Lakers Mount Rushmore: Kareem Abdul Jabbar
While Magic Johnson’s style helped define the Showtime Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was definitely the backbone of the team, giving them a dominant post scorer to rely on. In 14 seasons with the team, Abdul-Jabbar averaged an impressive 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks, in nearly 1,100 games.
That’s a Hall of Fame-worthy career right there, but he was also an All-Star every year that he was a Laker. Abdul-Jabbar also won three MVPs, two NBA Finals MVPs, and, of course, five titles. By the time he decided to hang up the goggles and retire at age 42, he was the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and shot-blocker.
Current Laker Lebron James is on pace to break his scoring record next season, while Hakeem Olajuwon eventually surpassed him on the all-time blocks list. However, being surpassed by other NBA greats actually further illustrates just how dominant Abdul-Jabbar was.
Speaking of dominant big men, the Lakers have had several over the years, including George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, O’Neal, and Pau Gasol. That said, Abdul-Jabbar’s time with the team was longer and more impactful than all of theirs, which is really saying something. As a result, he should be included on a hypothetical Lakers Mount Rushmore.