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Los Angeles Lakers: Top 10 point guards in franchise history

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: (L-R) Former Lakers champions Jerry West, Norm Nixon, Jaamal Wilkes, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, A.C. Green, Rick Fox and Robert Horry stand on the court during the 2009 NBA Championship ring ceremony for the Los Angeles Lakers before the season opening game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on October 27, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 99-92. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 27: (L-R) Former Lakers champions Jerry West, Norm Nixon, Jaamal Wilkes, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, A.C. Green, Rick Fox and Robert Horry stand on the court during the 2009 NBA Championship ring ceremony for the Los Angeles Lakers before the season opening game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on October 27, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers won 99-92. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

1. Earvin “Magic” Johnson

This wasn’t really a surprise, was it? Before clicking on this list, 99% of readers would have figured that the number one spot belonged to either Earvin “Magic” Johnson or the logo himself, Jerry West. Because of the pure dominance that Johnson displayed, he has to get the nod for the best Lakers point guard of all-time, despite his career being cut short.

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Nobody could quite match the playmaking ability that Johnson showcased in the 1980s. In his 17-year career, Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and a whopping 11.2 assists per game. If HIV did not cut Johnson’s career short, he likely would still hold the all-time assists record over John Stockton.

Johnson assisted just over 10,000 baskets in his NBA career, 5665 shy of the 15806 assists that Stockton put on the board. If Johnson played six more years he would have needed to average only 7.7 assists per game to pass Stockton. Johnson missed his age 32-35 season, so it definitely was doable.

Otherwise, Johnson’s accolades certainly hold up. Johnson was a 12-time all-star, five-time NBA Champion, 10-time All-NBA recipient, three-time Finals MVP and three-time NBA MVP. As of now, Johnson is the only point guard in NBA history to win more than two MVP awards and trails Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar all-time.

The NBA Hall of Famer may be one of the biggest “what ifs” in NBA history. Although Johnson did get enough time on the court to cement his legacy as one of the best players, if he were to remain healthy, he may be in the discussion for the best player of all-time.

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At the end of the day, though, Johnson can say that he is the best point guard in Los Angeles Lakers history.

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