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Los Angeles Lakers: Top 30 greatest players of all-time

By Ben Beecken

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts in the first half while taking on the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 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. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 13: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts in the first half while taking on the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 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. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers, Gail Goodrich
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Lakers. Gail Goodrich. 12. player. 20. . Guard

  • 9 seasons with Lakers (1965-68, 1970-76)
  • Averaged 19 points and 4.2 assists per game
  • 4x All-Star, 1x NBA champion with Lakers

Gail Goodrich was just 6-foot-1, earning himself the nickname “Stumpy”. But he turned out to be the 12th-best player in Lakers franchise history.

Goodrich wasn’t exactly a heralded prospect coming out of UCLA, but he managed to appear in 65 games as a rookie in 1965-66, averaging 7.8 points per game. The next year, he upped it to 12.4 points per game after receiving a significant bump in playing time.

In year three, Goodrich had another scoring increase. Then, he was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the expansion draft after the 1967-68 season.

In his first year in Phoenix, which was his fourth year in the NBA, Goodrich averaged a career-high 23.8 points per game and was named to his first All-Star Game. After a slight dip in scoring the next season, the Suns shipped him back to L.A. to rejoin the Lakers.

Goodrich’s two best assist seasons came in the desert, with his Lakers high in assists per game settling in at just 5.8 assists per game in 1974-75, his fourth and final All-Star appearance as a Laker. But for that four-year stretch from 1972 to 1975, Goodrich averaged 24.5 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game, leading a potent Lakers team deep into the playoffs each season.

The Lakers were a good team for much of Goodrich’s time in L.A., winning the 1972 NBA championship.

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