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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Malik Beasley has been one of the NBA’s most dangerous streak shooters over the last several years. He was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Denver Nuggets, and by his third season in the league, he crested at an accuracy of over 40% from 3-point range. During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 19.6 points a game and hit 39.9% of his 3-point attempts as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He came to the Lakers midway through the 2022-23 season as part of the trade that mercifully jettisoned Russell Westbrook. To that point of the season, Beasley’s 3-point accuracy had fallen to 35.9%, and it didn’t improve in L.A. As a member of the Lakers, he made 35.3% of his attempts from downtown and 39.2% of his overall shot attempts, and he showed an inability to consistently hit open shots.
Los Angeles declined his team option in the summer of 2023, and he left to join the Milwaukee Bucks. Over the last two seasons, he has regained his shooting touch by shooting 41.5% from beyond the arc, and last season, he put up 16.3 points a game while with the upstart Detroit Pistons.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 5 — Malik Beasley