The Lakers and their LARGER than life Centers

George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille  O'Neal and Dwight Howard. No franchise in NBA history has this who's who of elite pivot men. The Lakers, as a franchise have always had a knack for acquiring talent. I attribute this to their move to Los Angeles from Minneapolis in 1960. Hollywood has a lot of appeal to both the old-school and modern day athlete. All that glitz and all that glamour has proven to be enough to lure elite NBA talent to Los Angeles.  

George Mikan of course was responsible for the very first dynasty in basketball history, leading his Minneapolis Lakers to 4 titles in the early 50's. Standing 6'10, Mikan towered over those would-be centers of that era easily cementing himself as a Lakers legend with his signature hook shot and shot blocking ability. 

1968 marked a change in the landscape of the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers acquired arguably the most dominant force not just in basketball, but sports as a whole. Wilt Chamberlain was a larger than life athlete and personality. At 7'1 275 lbs., the Big Dipper was able to impose his will on the entire NBA with relative ease. Especially after the retirement of Bill Russell in 1969. Although Chamberlain had only two NBA titles to his name (just one with the Lakers), he still brought a boatload of publicity and fanfare to the legendary franchise that is the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The Big Dipper

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formerly Lew Alcindor) was traded to the Lakers for a bag of peanuts in 1975. It wasn't til 1979 that the Lakers would turn into a true dynasty. When they acquired the 1st draft pick, they used it on none other than Earvin "Magic" Johnson. They later formed one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history winning five championships with Magic and Kareem leading the way. Kareem, armed with the most unstoppable shot in the NBA and probably sports, the feared "Sky Hook" was responsible for Kareem becoming the NBA's all-time leader in scoring with 38,387 points in 20 NBA seasons, a record that is to this day seemingly untouchable. 

Three of L.A.'s Five Great Centers

Right in the middle of the NBA's modern era or as others call it, "The Jordan Era". Shaquille O'Neal packed his bags for a move to Los Angeles, leaving the Orlando Magic as a free agent to join the Lakers and further solidify the franchise as a perennial playoff contender. Shaq dominated the following decade teaming with Kobe Bryant to win three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. His outgoing and wacky personality, coupled with his controversial nature earned him a permanent place in NBA history as one of its biggest stars and enigmatic personalities. Even though Superman's departure from L.A. was far from an ideal one, his dominance for the time he spent there won't soon be forgotten. 

 

In early August of 2012, none other than the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off another free agent coupe. After an endless back and forth between player and management, The Lakers landed the best Center in the world today. The supremely athletic Dwight Howard, perhaps the first great Laker center to be more valued for his defense than his scoring prowess, will be next in line to carry the Lakers into a new era. If he does indeed re-sign, the responsibility of keeping the Lakers relevant will fall on the sturdy and more than capable shoulders of Dwight "Superman" Howard. With a constellation of stars to keep him company in L.A., there is no doubt that this particular Lakers team has the ability to give us something we as fans will never forget. If a team boasts the talents of Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, they will be hard to stop, with Dwight Howard, they are as close to unbeatable as it gets. That is if everything works out as planned, as they haven't logged a single minute of playing time together. This new Lakers era is one I will pay close attention to. 

All in all, the Los Angeles Lakers seem to always get the best of every deal that they make. They draft well and deal even better. If Andrew Bynum reached his full potential in L.A., he would have been the first great Laker big man to be drafted by the Lakers themselves. But apparently they couldn't wait, so they went and nabbed the best center out there today. Who can blame them? If Dwight Howard is on the market, the richest team in NBA history will go shopping. It has yet to be seen if this Lakers team can become a dynasty. Not if a certain team down south has a say in the matter.