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.
The 1979-80 season was a magical one for the Lakers, marking the start of the Showtime era and yielding the first of five NBA championships during the decade. That was the year a rookie named Magic Johnson scored 42 points and added 15 rebounds and seven assists in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to lead them to the world title over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Marty Byrnes, a 6-foot-7 forward, was a benchwarmer on that team. He was a rookie the previous season with the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Jazz, and during the 1979-80 campaign, he averaged 2.0 points in 6.1 minutes a game for Los Angeles.
He joined the expansion Dallas Mavericks the following season before wrapping up his NBA career with the Indiana Pacers two years later.