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.
Here’s a look at Shammond Williams, a guard who played for the Lakers during the 2000s.
In four seasons at the University of North Carolina, Williams grew into a stud. He was the ACC tournament MVP in 1997, and when he left the school in 1998, he had set program records for the most 3-pointers made in a season and a career, as well as the highest season and career free throw percentage.
During his last season with the Tar Heels, Williams was teammates with future NBA stars Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter.
He was a second-round draft pick by the Chicago Bulls in 1998. He never quite had the type of success that Jamison and Carter would enjoy, as he would peak at 8.0 points a game during the 2002-03 campaign.
The Lakers signed Williams as a free agent in the summer of 2006. At the time, they were still struggling to rebuild after trading Shaquille O’Neal in 2004, and they lacked quality players around Kobe Bryant who would make them very competitive.
The guard appeared in 30 games for Los Angeles and averaged 3.1 points in 11.5 minutes a game. That would be the finale of his NBA career, although he would spend several seasons afterward playing pro basketball overseas.
Since 2012, Williams has been an assistant coach for several college basketball teams.