Lakers: Kyle Kuzma and the six most impressive rookies in team history

4. Jerry West

“The Logo” cracks the list as the fourth-best Lakers’ rookie of all-time and has proven to be one of the most influential people not just in Lakers’ history but in NBA history. Heck, the NBA logo is a silhouette of West, you cannot be more influential than that.

It all started with a fairly solid rookie year out of West. West was selected with the second-overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft; fellow Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson was selected with the first-overall pick. It was Robertson that would win the NBA Rookie of the Year award over West, robbing him of the one accolade that escaped his career.

In his rookie season, West averaged 17.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 41.9 percent shooting. This was just the start of a fantastic career for West, who would go on to average 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his 14-year NBA career.

West retired at just 36 years old after failing to reach a contract agreement with the Lakers; stating he felt deceived by the organization. The Logo was an all-star in his last NBA season, so he really could have given the Lakers three or four more great years; further advancing his legacy.

At the end of the day, though, West has gone down as one of the best players in NBA history and now is one of the best executives in the NBA. With only one NBA Championship under his belt in his playing career, West has more than made up for it with eight NBA Championships as an executive.