Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary.
As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years.
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We now take a look at Soumaila Samake, a center who had a very brief stint with the team.
A native of Mali, Samake was a second-round draft pick by the New Jersey Nets in 2000. After appearing in 34 games with the Nets as a rookie and playing in Italy the following season, the Lakers brought the seven-footer in as a free agent during the summer of 2002.
At the time, they badly needed a serviceable backup for Shaquille O’Neal, especially since O’Neal needed surgery to fix an arthritic big toe and waited until September to get the procedure done. O’Neal missed the first 12 games of the new season, forcing Samake, who had averaged 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.6 minutes a game with New Jersey, to be in the Lakers’ starting lineup on opening night.
He was clearly overmatched by even mediocre NBA big men. He only managed 1.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 5.9 minutes a game with L.A. He lost his starting job after one game, and he went scoreless in eight of his 13 games with the team.
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Just over a week into the 2002-03 season, Samake was suspended for five games after testing positive for steroids, a rarity in the NBA. He played his last game with the Lakers — or any other NBA team — on Dec. 4 and failed to put up any positive stats in two minutes of playing time.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 0 — Soumaila Samake