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.
During the Lakers’ 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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Zelmo Beaty, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound big man, was one of basketball’s lesser-known stars in the 1960s and early 1970s. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1962 NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks, and in seven seasons with the Hawks, he averaged 17.4 points and 11.2 rebounds a game and made two All-Star games.
He decided to jump to the rival American Basketball Association (ABA) afterward, and he had four fine seasons there with the Utah Stars, during which he made three ABA All-Star teams. His final season came with the Lakers during the 1974-75 campaign back in the NBA.
That year, he put up 5.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17.6 minutes a game for the rebuilding Lakers. He finished his career with averages of 17.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game across both the NBA and ABA.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 31 — Zelmo Beaty