Last call: Your choices as the greatest L.A. Lakers of all time

We got 1,151 ballots from you, the loyal reader (and believe me, no one here thought we had 1,151 readers left) for the greatest L.A. Lakers of all time. But before we get to the results, here's  my choice for Nos 4-1.

No. 4: Kobe Bryant

No. 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

No. 2: Jerry West (Almost considered making him No. 1 because of his tenure as GM).

No. 1: Magic Johnson

And now, your votes. I removed Chick Hearn from the ballots of those who had him (he would have finished about 15th), and moved everyone else on those ballots up one (some people didn't include him because they thought he was ineligible, so I decided in fairness to take him out entirely.) I did the same for those of you who voted for George Mikan, since he never played in L.A.

You had to be listed on at least 50 ballots to make the list. Players listed in first on a ballot received 12 points, second place got 9, third place got 8, all the way to one point for 10th place.

Players named on fewer than 50 ballots: Bob McAdoo, Phil Jackson, Happy Hairston, Robert Horry, Spencer Haywood, Bill Sharman, Walt Hazzard, Adrian Dantley, Mychal Thompson, AC Green, Kermit Washington.

17th place: Pau Gasol (114 points)

16th place: Kurt Rambis (135 points)

15th place: Derek Fisher (187 points)

14th place: Norm Nixon (197 points)

13th place: Pat Riley (228 points)

12th place: Byron Scott (249 points)

11th place: Jamaal Wilkes (518 points)

10th place: Michael Cooper (1,255 points)

9th place: Gail Goodrich (2,323 points)

8th place: Shaquille O'Neal (4,231 points)

7th place: James Worthy (4,459 points)

6th place: Wilt Chamberlain (31 first-place votes, 5,465 points)

5th place: Elgin Baylor (41 first-place votes, 6,491 points)

4th place: Kobe Bryant (73 first-place votes, 7,663 points). Kobe is a polarizing figure, as over 100 people didn't even list him as one of their 10.

3rd place: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (155 first-place votes, 9,426 points)

2nd place: Jerry West (270 first-place votes, 10,421 points)

1st place: Magic Johnson (581 first-place votes, 11,769 points)

--Houston Mitchell

Comments

[courtney]

1 chick hearn
2 Marge hearn
3 jerry west
4 jerry buss
5 bill sharman
6 gail goodrich
7 don ford
8 chuck nevitt
9 mike smrek
10 larry sprigs

[silvia montoya]

KObe is the best by far.

[John M.]

Good selection. I am glad there is a mix of the great players from the past. The fans did a great job in their picks.

[mj]

what an outstanding list it is. i became a laker fan in the early magic years, so i don't know much about west, baylor and chamberlin, but i think it wrong to put a completly dominating player such as shaq so low on the list. then again, who do you bump on such a great list

[Dclaker]

Magic has to be #1, but, Jerry West is very close because of the playing, coaching and GM mantel. #3, #4, #5 are good except James Worthy was involved in more championships than Wilt. I may move Worthy up to #5 because of that and Baylor, as great as he was never won the big one.

[Bert Agudelo]

Wilt the still Chamberlain !!, was by far the best player not only for the Lakers but for all of Basketball !! Period !!.

Thanks.

Bert.

[Michael Ambrosio]

1. Magic Johnson
2. Jerry West
3. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Elgin Baylor
6. Wilt Chamberlain
7. James Worthy
8. Gail Goodrich
9. Jamal Wilkes
10. Shaq O'Neil
11. Byron Scott
12. Kurt Rambis
13. Pat Riley
14. MIchael Cooper
15. Robert Horry
16. Norm Nixon
17. Derek Fisher
18. AC Green
19. Mychal Thompson
20. Bill Sharman
21. Phil Jackson
22. Brian Shaw
23. Mikan

[Sherryl Roz]

Kobe Bryant!

[texwinter]

Magic 1st, kobe 2nd, Kareem 3rd, West 4th,Mikan 5th, Baylor 6th, Shaq 7th,Worthy 8th, Wilt 9th, Goodrich 10th

[Jerome Colson]

Forget polarization! Try being fair. Kobe Bryant may not be the most popular Laker,
but I can't think of one that is/was better. My drill instructor was polarizing, but he was one heckuva Marine.
Elgin Baylor's only crime was being a part of a team that didn't win it all; his rank would be higher if the today's fan had gotten the opportunity to see him play.

[Jerome Colson]

I heard that the BCS selection committee wore masks during the selection process. I can see that they may have; the end results lend credence to that possibility.

Obama was speaking as an interested sports fan; I am speaking as an irate one. We need a football playoff at the division one level, and we need it now! Ask USC.

[Jerome Colson]

As an NBA fan, I need to know the answer to these questions:

1. Since when did we start passing out MVP laurels to players after twenty games?
2. Are there rules of comportment printed on the NBA tickets? If not, why?
3. Is it possible to get a muzzle for the mug of Shaq' Oneal? That guy has the loquacity of an auctioneer.