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.
When LeBron James came to the Lakers in July 2018, they immediately started to look to assemble a winning team around him, which meant bringing in some experienced veterans. One of the veterans they signed that summer was forward Lance Stephenson.
Stephenson was a second-round draft pick in 2010, and at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he became known as a tenacious and physical defender who could neutralize players who were bigger than him. He was projected to add some toughness and character to a young Lakers squad.
Oddly enough, Stephenson had once gotten into it with James when he blew in the superstar’s ear during the 2014 Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and James’ Miami Heat.
During the 2018-19 season, Stephenson averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 16.5 minutes a game for Los Angeles. He spent the next season with the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association, and he returned to the NBA in 2021 for one final campaign with the Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks.