Who are the five most important Los Angeles Lakers legends, according to Jeannie Buss?

The owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss, revealed who to her are the most important men in the history of the NBA franchise. Four iconic players, one still active, and a coach who marked history with the Californian quintet are on the list.

What’s more interesting is that club legend Shaquille O’Neal is not on the top five. For most NBA pundits probably the best center of the last 30 years or more and the most dominant player to ever grace the court. And for the Lakers owner the big man is not important enough for the franchise. Being that he won 3 rings with the team.

The top 5 most important men in Lakers history for Buss

The top includes Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, and coach Phil Jackson.

Kobe Bryant, ‘Black Mamba,’ was with the Lakers his entire career; in 20 active years, he won five titles; he averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.

Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson also spent his entire career with the Lakers, winning five titles and forming a fearsome duo with Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spent 14 seasons with the franchise after he arrived from the Milwaukee Bucks, with whom he played six seasons. He won five titles and averaged 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.

He was instrumental in the team’s dominance in the 1980s and became the all-time leading scorer in a Lakers jersey until LeBron James broke the record. ‘King’ James hasn’t been on the team that long, but he quickly became a benchmark; he also broke Abdul-Jabbar’s record and managed to win a title with the Lakers in a decade.

For his part, Phil Jackson is one of the best coaches in history, not only in the NBA but in sports in general. He was present in the 6 titles alongside Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, while with the Lakers, he consumed 5 more titles for his personal showcase.