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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Larry Drew, a 6-foot-1 point guard, was the No. 17 pick in the 1980 NBA Draft out of the University of Missouri. He became a good, productive player fairly quickly, and in his third season, he averaged 20.1 points, 8.1 assists and 1.7 steals a game with the Kansas City Kings.
He signed with the Lakers as a free agent in the summer of 1989. In two seasons with them, he averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 assists in 14.3 minutes a game, and he helped them reach the NBA Finals in 1991.
Drew’s NBA career ended in 1991, and he became an assistant coach for the Lakers in 1992, which was a job he held until 1999. He has continued his coaching career to this day, as he currently serves as an assistant on the Los Angeles Clippers under head coach Tyronn Lue.
His son, Larry Drew II, had a couple of brief stints in the NBA as a player with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Orleans Pelicans.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 10 — Larry Drew