Best Draft Pick In LA Lakers History

Spanning nearly seven decades between Minneapolis and LA, the Lakers franchise has been home to some of the greatest players in NBA history. When it comes to the Lakers, the conversation about who their best overall draft pick in franchise history is one of the toughest to determine.

Elgin Baylor, selected first overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958, averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds over fourteen seasons. Baylor, the 1959 Rookie of the Year, would go on to make eleven All-Star appearances and ten All-NBA First Teams. Unfortunately for Baylor, he retired nine games into the 1971-72 season, just weeks before the Lakers went on to win the title. 

Jerry West, selected second overall in the 1960 NBA Draft, averaged 27 points over fourteen seasons, made fourteen All-Star teams, and delivered the franchise its 1972 championship. The only player in Finals history to win MVP on the losing team, West is one of the five greatest shooting guards to ever play.

When it comes to the Lakers' best draft pick, the honor goes to Ervin “Magic” Johnson. The pick used to select Johnson in 1979 had originally belonged to the New Orleans Jazz and was surrendered as compensation when they signed Laker veteran Gail Goodrich in 1976. New Orleans finished at the bottom of the league in 1979, turning what had been a routine roster move into the first overall pick, and the Lakers used it to select a twenty-year-old point guard from Lansing, Michigan.

An All-American coming out of high school, Johnson turned down numerous big-name schools to play close to home. As a freshman, he helped lead the Michigan State Spartans to the Elite Eight. In his sophomore year, Johnson would carry his team to the NCAA Championship in the most-watched college basketball game in history, defeating Larry Bird's Indiana State Sycamores.

As the first pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Johnson joined a Lakers team that had finished 47-39 and lost in the Western Conference Semi-Finals despite featuring a lineup that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Norm Nixon, Jamaal Wilkes, and Adrian Dantley. Johnson's rookie season was fitting for Hollywood. Starting 72 of 77 games, Johnson averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists, but more importantly, his infectious energy helped the team to a 60-22 record and a spot in the NBA Finals. With the Lakers holding a 3-2 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers, LA headed into Game 6 without Abdul-Jabbar, the league's MVP, after he suffered a severely sprained ankle in Game 5. 

“Never fear, E.J. is here!” Johnson proclaimed as he took over Abdul-Jabbar’s seat on the flight to Philadelphia. Backing up his words with actions, Johnson delivered one of the greatest individual performances in NBA Finals history. Starting at center and eventually covering all five positions on the floor, Johnson finished with 42 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block in 47 minutes, leading the Lakers to a 123-107 victory and the NBA championship. He was named Finals MVP, becoming the youngest player and the only rookie in NBA history to win the award.

Over thirteen seasons with the Lakers, Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 11.2 assists, and 7.2 rebounds, won five championships, three Finals MVPs, three MVP awards, twelve All-Star teams, eleven All-NBA selections, earned a much-deserved spot in the Hall of Fame, and a place on two NBA Anniversary teams. Unfortunately for Johnson, the Lakers, and the entire NBA, he would be forced into an early retirement at the age of 31 after being diagnosed with HIV (though he made a 32-game comeback in the 1995-96 season).

Perhaps more importantly, alongside Bird, Johnson was credited with turning the NBA from a struggling product into a global success, bringing Showtime not only to Los Angeles but to the entire league itself.