The LA Lakers are the second-most successful team in the history of the NBA, with their 17 championships just one fewer than the Boston Celtics.
Some of basketball’s biggest names have represented the California-based side – and some of them have made enough of an impact to have their jerseys retired.
Here are all 12 men to have had their jersey retired by the Lakers.
#8 & #24 – Kobe Bryant
A legend of the game and one of the best to ever play, Bryant played all of his 20 seasons as a Laker, once being named MVP, and earning All-Star status in 18 seasons.
Bryant won five NBA titles with the Lakers and ended his career as their leading scorer of all time.
He wore both the No.8 and the No.24 during his career, and the Lakers saw fit to retire both upon Bryant’s 2016 retirement, making him the only player in history to have two numbers retired by the same team.
#13 – Wilt Chamberlain
A four-time NBA MVP, 13-time All-Star and once the holder of an average of 50 points in a season, Chamberlain is one of the best players ever to feature in the league.
The seven-time scoring champion played the last five seasons of his illustrious career with the Lakers, where he had his No.13 jersey retired.
#16 – Pau Gasol
Gasol won the NBA championship with the Lakers twice, in 2009 and 2010, as part of a six-and-a-half-season spell in LA.
He was named an All-Star in three of those seasons and saw his No.16 jersey retired in 2023, a few years after the end of his career.
#22 – Elgin Baylor
The leader in terms of rebounds in Lakers history, and the third-highest point-scorer, Baylor clearly left a mark on the organisation.
The 11-time All-Star had his jersey retired in 1983, honouring 14 seasons with the Lakers.
#25 – Gail Goodrich
Goodrich played the first three seasons of his career with the Lakers before moving on for two seasons and then returning for another five. He was named an All-Star in four of those campaigns.
Goodrich won the NBA championship with the Lakers in 1972, and 17 years after his retirement, in 1996, his No.25 jersey was retired.
#32 – Magic Johnson
Johnson, widely regarded as one of the best point guards ever, played for the Lakers for 13 seasons, 12 before a HIV diagnosis, and part of one after.
Following his first 12 seasons, in which he won three MVP awards, Johnson’s No.32 jersey was retired by the Lakers, but he was allowed to wear it when he returned for 32 games in 1995-96, following four seasons out.
#33 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
A six-time MVP winner, Kareem is the most successful player in terms of personal accolades in the history of the league.
The last 14 of his 20 years in the NBA were spent with the Lakers, where he won half of his MVP awards and was named an All-Star 13 times.
Unsurprisingly, Kareem’s No.33 jersey was retired the year after his own retirement.
READ MORE: Every player to have won the NBA MVP award more than once
#34 – Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq spent 19 years in the NBA, and eight of them were as an LA Laker. He helped them win three straight championships during his time there.
The first of those, in 2000, was the Lakers’ first championship since 1988.
Shaq was the points leader and the MVP in his fourth season as an NBA player, and he had his Lakers jersey retired in 2013, following his retirement as a player. The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat also retired Shaq’s jerseys from his time starring at the respective teams.
#42 – James Worthy
A Finals MVP winner in 1988, when the Lakers won the NBA championship, Worthy’s triple double in game seven might have been enough on its own to see his No.42 jersey retired.
He was their scoring leader in two seasons and played for 12 years in the league, all with the Lakers.
#44 – Jerry West
The first player ever to be drafted by the Lakers, in 1960, West was a part of history and continued that with his exploits throughout his career.
One of the highest point scorers in Lakers history, he ended as the league’s scoring champion in 1970 and won a championship in 1972.
West had his No.44 jersey retired by the Lakers and his college side, West Virginia University, which retired the number across all sports, not just basketball.
#52 – Jamaal Wilkes
Wilkes won three NBA championships with the Lakers, in 1980, 1982 and 1985. He was also named an All-Star in three separate seasons, in 1976, 1981 and 1983.
He left the Lakers for the LA Clippers in 1985 and retired later that year, though his jersey was not retired until many years later, in 2012.
#99 – George Mikan
Mikan is one of the earliest Lakers players to have his jersey retired.
Mikan played for the Lakers, while they were located in Minneapolis, for seven seasons through the 1940s and 50s, and was a four-time NBA All-Star.
He died in 2005, and his No.99 jersey was posthumously retired in 2022.
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