Feb. 13, 2026, 9:00 a.m. PT
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.
Hall of Fame point guard Gary Payton, one of the greatest defenders in NBA history who was also a bona fide scoring and passing threat, spent one season with the Lakers during the 2003-04 campaign. Years later, his son, Gary Payton II, entered the league as an undrafted rookie with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2016-17 campaign.
Midway through the following season, the younger Payton was waived, and the Lakers picked him up on a two-way contract. He appeared in 11 games with the Lakers that year and averaged 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 10.5 minutes a game before leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2018.
The 6-foot-2 guard later caught on with the Golden State Warriors and won an NBA championship with them in 2022. He is still a member of the Warriors this season and is currently averaging 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 13.1 minutes per contest.
