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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Here’s a look at current Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt was a second-round draft pick by the Orlando Magic in 2018. He played one season of college basketball at the University of Kentucky, and he got very little playing time during his first two seasons in the NBA.
During the 2020-21 season, his third in the pros, he started to emerge as a strong defender and rebounder as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was sent to the Utah Jazz during the summer of 2022 as part of the deal that brought Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, and in February 2023, he arrived in L.A. as part of the trade that jettisoned beleaguered guard Russell Westbrook.
Lakers fans quickly took a liking to the energetic and defensive-minded Vanderbilt, as he helped the team surge late in the season and reach the Western Conference finals. He has been riddled with injuries since, but after returning from a foot injury midway through the 2024-25 campaign, he remained relatively healthy.
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His big weakness is his lack of outside shooting, which has caused his playing time to dwindle during the playoffs. But he can still help out off the bench as an energy and hustle player as L.A. looks to become an elite team again.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 2 — Jarred Vanderbilt