1. Magic Johnson
Wait! Magic Johnson was not a center, why is he in this list you might ask? In the 1980 NBA Finals the Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76ers, and in Game 6 in Philadelphia the Lakers started a 20 year old rookie center by the name of Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had an injured ankle and was unable to play so Magic powered the Lakers to victory with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. The win gave the Lakers their first title since 1972, but more importantly is was the beginning of the Lakers dynasty in the 1980’s. Magic’s performance earned him MVP honors and that was just a glimpse of an illustrious hall of fame career for number 32.
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The Lakers have been fortunate to have had some of the best centers to ever play this game, and each in their own right contributed to the great organization and established a level of excellence that is matched by no one.
To simply pick five individual performances in a team that had so many hall of fame centers was a difficult task, but that is what makes the Lakers one of the best organizations in sports. Who is next to be added to this list? Hopefully soon well have that answer.