Editor’s note: players only qualify if they logged at least one playoff appearance in their respective championship years. Also, the list is based on their entire career, not just their span of time with Los Angeles. 

30) Clay Johnson (1982)

A middling NBA career was treated not as a disappointment for Johnson but an opportunity to give back to his community. He now runs a foundation in his hometown of Kansas City for mentoring at-risk youth, with ocassional event appearances from former Laker teammates like Magic Johnson (no relation). After several seasons toiling in the WBL and CBA, Johnson joined the Lakers late in the ’81-’82 season, signed as a free agent to replace floundering rookie Kevin McKenna as a third-string guard. Johnson appeared in seven regular season games and made seven playoff appearances, all in garbage time, earning a championship ring. He returned for ’82-’83 but was granted even less minutes and when the season ended with an NBA Finals loss to the 76ers, his career was effectively over. Johnson would later write a book about his time as a bench warmer with the Lakers, titled In the Middle of the Bus.

29) Milt Wagner (1988)

Drafted by the Mavericks in 1986 out of Louisville (with whom he won the 1986 NCAA title), Wagner was waived before the season started and wound up on the Lakers roster a year later. There was a brief stretch late in the ’87-’88 season where Wagner got to start four games at shooting guard with Michael Cooper nursing an injury. But his playoff appearances all happened in garbage time, including two games during the NBA Finals victory over the Pistons. Wagner joined teammates Billy Thompson and Magic Johnson on a short list of players who have won basketball championships at the high school, college, and NBA levels. Waived by the Lakers before the ’88-’89 season, Wagner played one more NBA season with the Heat in ’90-’91 before finishing up his pro career in Europe. His son Dajuan was a first round pick in 2002 but lasted just four years in the NBA due to suffering from colitis.

28) Chuck Nevitt (1985)

At 7’5″, Nevitt remains to this day the tallest player with an NBA championship ring. He was also the first player bestowed with the nickname “Human Victory Cigar,” earned during that ’84-’85 title run with the Lakers. When Swen Nater retired in 1984, Nevitt signed with the Lakers hoping to replace him as a backup center but was eventually cut in favor or Earl Jones. But Jones proved unreliable during the regular season, so the Lakers brought back Nevitt that March. Literally all of Nevitt’s playing time came late in blowout wins, hence the “Human Victory Cigar” moniker. Despite his lack of contributions on the court, Nevitt was still a fan favorite for his superlative size and self-deprecating humor. He later made a (brief) appearance for the Pistons in the 1988 Finals against his former Lakers teammates, then earned another title ring with the Bulls in 1992, though he wasn’t on the team’s playoff roster.

27) Brad Holland (1980)

A first round pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, Holland was selected by the Lakers at #14 overall, 13 spots after they had landed another point guard named Magic Johnson. While his fellow rookie Johnson was instantly one of the league’s biggest stars, Holland’s career took a divergent path, logging just 6.2 minutes per game in his first two NBA seasons. An opportunity did arise for Holland in game six of the 1980 NBA Finals. With Johnson filling in for an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center, Holland became the de facto backup point guard and finished the game with eight points and two steals as the Lakers clinched the title. Traded to the Bullets in 1981 as part of the package for Mitch Kupchak, Holland played just one more NBA season before retiring. He is one of seven UCLA alums to win a championship with the Lakers, a list that includes ’79-’80 teammates Abdul-Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes.

26) Mike Smrek (1987, 1988)

Part of a talented generation of Canadians that hit the NCAA and NBA in the early-to-mid ’80s, Smrek played his college ball at Canisius in Buffalo and was drafted by the Blazers in the second round in 1985. Not particularly athletic or skilled relative to most NBA players, Smrek did at least possess size, allowing the seven-footer to last seven seasons in the league. Two of those came with the Lakers, who signed him as a free agent in 1986, when he supposedly also had an offer on the table from the rival Celtics. At least in terms of championships, it worked out for Smrek, who won titles with the Lakers in 1987 (over the Celtics) and 1988 as a third string center. When the Lakers signed Mark McNamara in 1988, they traded Smrek to the Spurs. He spent four more seasons in the NBA and several in Europe before retiring to return to his native Ontario to work as a high school teacher.

25) Butch Lee (1980)

Born in Puerto Rico, Lee was the first Latin American player in NBA history, and may have been the first Latino superstar if not for knee issues. After a quiet rookie season with the Hawks (who drafted him 10th overall) and Cavaliers (who traded for him at the deadline), torn cartilage was discovered in Lee’s knee during training camp, necessitating surgery. He was able to return to the court but was far from the same player anymore, and the Cavs sent Lee to the Lakers as part of the infamous trade that also included the #1 overall pick in 1982, used on James Worthy. Lee was essentially a fourth-string point guard for the Lakers and played limited minutes. He did appear in three playoff games, though none during the NBA Finals. Waived by Los Angeles that summer, Lee returned to Puerto Rico where he became a star in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league.

24) Adrian Branch (1987)

Being overshadowed by superstar teammates was nothing new to Branch, who played second banana to Len Bias at the University of Maryland. A second round pick of the Bulls in 1985, Branch failed to make the roster and played out the season in the CBA. Concerned over the lack of development of first round pick Billy Thompson, the Lakers signed Branch as a backup small forward for ’86-’87. Thompson wound up receiving most of the minutes backing up James Worthy but Branch did average 4.3 points per game in his limited opportunities (for what it’s worth, his 22.7 points per 36 minutes was second on the team behind Magic Johnson). Branch appeared in 11 playoff games that spring as the Lakers won their fourth title of the decade. He spent three more seasons in the NBA with the Nets, Blazers, and Timberwolves, before finishing his career overseas.

23) Marty Byrnes (1980)

One of the first star players under Jim Boeheim at Syracuse in the late ’70s, Byrnes was a first round pick of the Suns but it was quickly readily apparent that he wasn’t skilled or athletic enough to keep up in the NBA. Traded to and subsequently waived by the Jazz during his rookie season, Byrnes signed with the Lakers for ’79-’80. His playing time was limited in Los Angeles but did increase late in the year as Spencer Haywood became erratic and backup small forward Don Ford struggled with injuries. Byrnes wound up as one of just two forwards on the roster for the 1980 NBA Finals (with Jamaal Wilkes) but still got almost no playing time, as the Lakers leaned on undersized centers Jim Chones and Mark Landsberger. After getting selected by the Mavericks in their expansion draft, Byrnes had a career year in ’80-’81 with 7.8 points per game, then spent a few seasons in Italy before retiring in 1988.

22) Larry Spriggs (1985)

When the Lakers took a blowout loss to the Nuggets early in the ’84-’85 season to fall to 3-3, coach Pat Riley decided it was time for a shake-up. He inserted the lightly used Spriggs into the starting lineup at power forward over Jamaal Wilkes and Kurt Rambis. Spriggs scored 11 points in his first game as a starter, a victory over the Blazers that kicked off a seven-game winning streak, and his first of an eventual 33 starts that season. Spriggs averaged just 6.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game over the span and Rambis eventually wrested the starting job back. But a subsequent Wilkes injury opened up playing time for Spriggs down the stretch and in the playoffs, especially in blowouts. After winning his ring with the Lakers in 1985, Spriggs saw his playing time decrease sharply in ’85-’86 due to the additions of Maurice Lucas and A.C. Green. He spent 10 more years playing in Europe before retiring.

21) Ronnie Lester (1985)

When the Lakers fired him as assistant general manager in 2011, it concluded a 24-year stretch of employment with the franchise for Lester, starting as a player in 1984. He had accepted his fate as a draft bust (selected 10th overall by the Bulls) and role player in the NBA by then due to a major knee injury. Before that, as a dynamic guard for Iowa in the late ’70s, Lester matched up regularly against Michigan State’s Magic Johnson, who once called Lester the toughest opponent he ever faced in the Big 10. Playing time was hard to come by in the ’84-’85 Lakers backcourt, especially in the postseason, where Lester averaged just six minutes per game as the Lakers won the title. He hung around for one more season before retiring as a player to become first a scout for the Lakers, then eventually an executive, ultimately earning eight title rings on one capacity or another with Los Angeles.

20) Billy Thompson (1987)

The list of basketball players with championships at the high school, NCAA, and NBA levels is a short one, and it includes three teammates on the ’87-’88 Lakers. One is Magic Johnson and the other two are Thompson and Milt Wagner, who were additionally title-winning teammates at Camden High School in New Jersey and at the University of Louisville. Thompson was drafted by the Hawks in 1986 and Wagner by the Mavericks, but they soon after reunited on the Lakers. Thompson had joined the Lakers via trade before his rookie season and earned a title ring in 1987, after unfortunately missing most of the playoffs with a knee injury. He won another one in 1988, despite this time being left off the postseason roster entirely. Thompson revived his career with the expansion Heat in ’88-’89 and eventually became the team’s pastor, earning three more title rings in that role.

19) Mark Landsberger (1980, 1982)

His overall contributions to the 1980 and 1982 titles were modest but Landsberger will always be remembered for being part of one of the greatest plays in NBA Finals history. Granted, the career journeyman was on the wrong side of it. That was Landsberger getting beat to the baseline and then fading into the background as Julius Erving made his legendary sweeping reverse layup in game four of the 1980 Finals. Not a particularly gifted athlete but a preternatural rebounder, especially on the offensive end, Landsberger once hauled in 29 boards in a single game for the Bulls early in his career. He was traded from Chicago to the Lakers at the deadline in ’79-’80, and though he was an end-of-the-bench guy for the Lakers, he did make his presence felt in minimal minutes, beyond just being fodder for “Dr. J” highlight reels. Landsberger ultimately played in three NBA Finals with the Lakers, winning two titles.

18) Eddie Jordan (1982)

When Magic Johnson was lost indefinitely in November of 1980 with a knee injury, the Lakers scrambled to fill out their point guard depth. They found a reasonable solution by trading for Jordan. Nicknamed “Fast Eddie” for his quick feet and hands, Jordan was a terrific defender and tied for the lead league in total steals in ’79-’80. But he had fallen out of favor with Kevin Loughery on the Nets and was receiving only scant playing time despite being one of the team’s most talented players. In Los Angeles, Jordan became a key bench player, backing up Norm Nixon at point guard. But when Johnson returned that February, Jordan found himself again riding the pine. He appeared in just two playoff games in 1981, and only three in 1982, as the “Showtime” Lakers rallied to win their second championship. Jordan was traded alongside Nixon to the Clippers in 1983 in exchange for Byron Scott.

17) Wes Matthews (1987, 1988)

While Pat Riley is the one who trademarked and profited from the term “three-peat,” Matthews has always maintained that he coined the phrase. Either way, the quest for a third consecutive title didn’t turn so well for the Lakers, who were swept in the 1989 NBA Finals, or Matthews, who was no longer on the roster. In fact, Matthews was out of the NBA entirely, having been waived by the Lakers in the summer of 1988 and finishing his career in Italy. Prior to his two championship seasons with Los Angeles, Matthews had torched his future teammates in the 1986 playoffs as a member of the Spurs, averaging 25.3 points and 8.0 assists per game in a first round series (which the Lakers swept anyway). His son Wesley, Jr. has had a much better NBA career statistically but has failed to win a championship in 13 seasons and counting.

16) Mike McGee (1982, 1985)

A forgotten man on the early ’80s Lakers, McGee played limited minutes at shooting guard but made the most of it, acting as a poor man’s Vinnie Johnson with his explosive bench scoring. A rival of Magic Johnson and Michigan State while playing for the Michigan Wolverines, McGee was a first round pick of the Lakers in 1981. He found scant playing time in a crowded back court but did earn a championship ring in 1982 while averaging 2.5 minutes per game for the playoffs. When Nixon was traded to the Clippers, McGee seized the opportunity in the 1985 postseason. He was the team’s leading bench scorer with 11.2 points per game, filling in at both shooting guard and small forward as the Lakers won another championship. Despite his strong play, McGee was seen as expendable due to the emergence of Byron Scott and was traded to the Hawks soon after.

15) Jim Brewer (1982)

Even in one of the worst draft classes in NBA history, Brewer stood out as a disappointment as the #2 overall pick in 1973. He averaged just 7.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers in his first five seasons, then was traded three times in an 18-month span, eventually winding up in Los Angeles. At 6’9″, Brewer could play both power forward and center and came off the bench effectively behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and former Cavs teammate Jim Chones. When Mitch Kupchak was injured during the ’81-’82 season, Brewer filled in as the staring power forward for a spell until Kurt Rambis took over. Brewer’s role shrunk from there, averaging just 7.1 minutes per game in eight postseason appearances, all of them in garbage time. After earning a title ring with the Lakers in 1982, Brewer finished his career in Italy.

14) Tony Campbell (1988)

He was a first round pick of the Pistons in 1984 but Campbell’s career seemed basically over by the time he was 25. Cut by the Pistons and the Bullets, Campbell toiled away in the CBA before signing with the Lakers down the stretch of the ’87-’88 season. Billy Thompson was sidelined with an injury so Campbell slotted in immediately as James Worthy’s backup forward, averaging 11.0 points per game off the bench. His playing time decreased exponentially in the ’88-’89 title defense but Campbell did get a chance to shine against his former Pistons teammates in the NBA Finals. With Magic Johnson and Byron Scott struggling with injuries, Campbell got big minutes in the series, including in the starting lineup in game four. He was signed by the Timberwolves in the ensuing offseason and became the expansion team’s leading scorer for the next three seasons.

13) Mitch Kupchak (1985)

By the time he signed with the Lakers in 1981, Kupchak already had plenty of big game experience. He was one of the stars of the 1976 U.S. Olympic gold medal team and was the sixth man on the Bullets that won the 1978 title and played in the 1979 NBA Finals. Magic Johnson was certainly impressed by him and made the demand that the Lakers sign Kupchak after their disappointing early playoff exit in 1981. Kupchak came as advertised, playing solid minutes at power forward and protecting Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his physical presence before suffering a fractured knee. He was sidelined for nearly two years and a shell of himself upon returning. Kupchak did play three more seasons with the Lakers, including their 1985 title run. After retiring as a player, Kupchak joined the Lakers front office and earned seven more championship rings over the next three decades.

12) Jim Chones (1980)

This is as good a time as any to insert a reminder that the players on this list are being judged by the entire breadth of their careers, not just their time with the Lakers. Chones was essentially damaged goods by the time he joined the Lakers but was a star for the Cavaliers in his first seven seasons in the NBA. Traded to Los Angeles in 1979 by miserly Cavs owner Ted Stepien, Chones settled comfortably into a sixth man role behind Spencer Haywood at power forward and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center. When the former was suspended and the latter was injured during the 1980 playoffs, Chones became an unlikely hero. Everyone remembers Magic Johnson’s performance in game six against the 76ers, earning Finals MVP honors with his “baby sky hook,” but it was Chones who played most of the minutes at center in that game, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

11) Kurt Rambis (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

On a Hollywood-based team brimming with finesse and cool, Rambis was a striking counterpoint. Sporting thick-rimmed glasses, an unkempt mane of hair, and playing a style of game better suited to the enforcer roles of the ’60s and ’70s, he was a crowd favorite and a key component of four Lakers title teams. Unwanted by the Knicks that drafted him in the third round in 1980, Rambis spent a season playing in Greece before signing with the Lakers. He settled into a role as the “dirty work” guy, setting screens, fighting for rebounds, and diving for loose balls. In seven seasons with the Lakers, Rambis averaged just 5.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game but was crucial to six NBA Finals appearances and four titles. After signing with the expansion Hornets in 1988, Rambis had a brief moment in the spotlight, averaging career highs in scoring and rebounding as the franchise’s first starting power forward.

10) Mychal Thompson (1987, 1988)

When the Lakers traded for him at the deadline in ’86-’87, Thompson became part of the answer to the trivia question: Who was the only team to feature four #1 overall picks on the same roster? Thompson had been selected with the top pick by the Trail Blazers in 1978, giving him something in common with Los Angeles teammates Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy. Thompson was 32 years old with a long history of leg injuries when he joined the Lakers but proved central to two title teams. With Abdul-Jabbar aging, the Lakers needed a backup center who could provide long stretches of strong play and Thompson fit the bill. This proved especially crucial in the 1987 NBA Finals against Boston, when Thompson averaged 14.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the final four games and played tough defense against Robert Parish and Kevin McHale.

9) A.C. Green (1987, 1988)

Appropriately nicknamed “Iron Man” for his NBA record 1,192 consecutive games played, Green’s first 653 appearances of that streak came with the Lakers team that drafted him in 1985. A model of consistency, not just for his games played but also his rebounding, defensive toughness, and short jumper, Green probably could have thrived as an All-Star level talent on a lesser roster. But he was a perfect fit as an overqualified yeoman off the bench for Los Angeles and a key element of the last two “Showtime” championships in 1987 and 1988, especially defensively. A surprise All-Star in ’89-’90, Green moved on to stints with the Suns and Mavericks before returning to Los Angeles in 1999 and winning a third championship. Aside from his contributions on the court, Green’s tenure with the team is also remembered for his voluntary celibacy, which stood in stark contrast to his bacchanalian teammates.

8) Michael Cooper (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

Beanpole thin at 6’5″ and 170 pounds, Cooper certainly didn’t look like a central casting ideal of a fierce defender. But he was one of the premier perimeter stoppers in league history, an honor bestowed on him by no less than Larry Bird. Maybe the most unassuming member of the ’80s Lakers, Cooper just barely made the roster in 1978 as a third round pick and played in only seven games as a rookie due to a torn knee ligament. He was unlocked as a bench defensive specialist in ’79-’80 and his undeniable ability to blanket opposing scorers at three different positions only grew from there. Cooper was one of three players to participate in all five “Showtime” Lakers championships, alongside his good friend Magic Johnson, who bestowed him with the nickname “Coop.” Cooper spent his entire career with the Lakers, retired in 1990, then returned a few years later as an assistant coach.

7) Byron Scott (1985, 1987, 1988)

It was a risky move trading the popular Norm Nixon for the rookie Scott in 1983, but it paid off for the Lakers and arguably extended the “Showtime” era. A throwback shooting guard with an outside shot and solid defensive skills, Scott was a perfect fit in the back court with Magic Johnson. He played in six NBA Finals with the Lakers, winning three titles, and was the team’s leading scorer in the final championship run in 1988. Scott was 1st-Team All-Rookie but earned no other individual NBA accolades beyond that and spent his entire career overshadowed by star teammates like Johnson. He was a flat out winner though, playing for teams that reached at least the Conference Finals in 10 of his first 12 seasons, including his post-Lakers stint on the Pacers. After one season with the expansion Grizzlies, Scott finished his career with the Lakers in ’96-’97, serving as a mentor to a rookie Kobe Bryant.

6) Norm Nixon (1980, 1982)

Charismatic and supremely athletic, Nixon was a natural fit on the “Showtime” Lakers. He was also ultimately redundant as a play making point guard. Nixon finished top five in the NBA in assists and steals in ’78-’79 but none of that mattered when the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson. The point guards did manage to gel in the back court together, for the most part, for four seasons. The peak was ’81-’82, when Nixon and Johnson both finished top five in the NBA in assists, both were named All-Stars, and led the Lakers to their second title of the decade, with Nixon as the leading postseason scorer. But that was following the nadir of ’80-’81, when the point guards traded barbs in the press and the Lakers limped to a first round playoff exit. Nixon was traded to the Clippers in 1983 in exchange for Byron Scott and had two solid seasons with the crosstown rivals until suffering a career ending knee injury.

5) Jamaal Wilkes (1980, 1982)

A local star at Santa Barbara High School and then UCLA, Wilkes returned to SoCal in 1977, joining the Lakers as a free agent. Possessing some of the smoothest shot mechanics ever seen (Chick Hearn deemed his jumpers a “20 foot lay-up”), Wilkes was an offensive force in the first half of the “Showtime” dynasty. He was the second leading scorer for the Lakers in the 1980 postseason, and dropped 37 points in the deciding game six of the NBA Finals (overshadowed by Magic Johnson’s performance). Wilkes’ 1982 NBA Finals performance was even more impressive, leading the Lakers in scoring with 19.7 points per game and arguably getting robbed of the Finals MVP trophy. With the emergence of James Worthy soon after, Wilkes gracefully accepted a bench role and continued to contribute until suffering a torn knee ligament in 1985. The Lakers retired Wilkes’ #52 in 2012, the same year he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.

4) Spencer Haywood (1980)

By the time he joined the Lakers via trade in 1979, Haywood was 30 years old and had already been through several lifetimes worth of professional hardship. He was the first player to turn pro early, joining the ABA at age 20, then signed with the SuperSonics a year later, setting off a flurry of lawsuits, regulation changes, and vicious invective. Haywood established himself as one of the NBA’s best players while with Seattle but struggled with inconsistency in later stops with the Knicks and Jazz, due largely to substance abuse. He was a shadow of his former self upon signing with the Lakers in 1979 but still effective enough to play sixth man minutes. That is, up until the NBA Finals, when Haywood had become so unreliable that he was kicked off the team for falling asleep in practice. A complicated and tragic figure, Haywood is only a footnote in the “Showtime” Lakers era, but is as essential to the overall framework of the NBA historical narrative as anybody.

3) James Worthy (1985, 1987, 1988)

Nicknamed “Big Game” James during his time at North Carolina, Worthy was indeed a superstar in the clutch numerous times for the Lakers. Most notable was his triple-double with 36 points in game seven of the 1988 NBA Finals that earned him Finals MVP honors. But the road to Finals hero was not always smooth for Worthy. He missed the entire 1983 playoffs with a broken leg, made an infamously lazy pass that was stolen by Gerald Henderson in game two of the 1984 NBA Finals, and struggled so much in the 1986 Conference Finals loss that Jerry Buss openly shopped him around that summer. Worthy was ultimately vindicated, not just for his Finals MVP performance but also his clutch defense on Larry Bird in the 1985 and 1987 Finals. One of the best in-game dunkers of his era, Worthy was a perfect complement to Magic Johnson in the “Showtime” offense, throwing down powerful finishes on fast breaks. He spent his entire career with the Lakers until retiring in 1994 due to knee issues.

2) Bob McAdoo (1982, 1985)

He was Rookie of the Year, league MVP at age 23, and a three-time scoring champ in his first four seasons. But McAdoo was considered damaged goods at age 30 when he was traded to the Lakers in 1981. There was no clear through line of why McAdoo had struggled so badly with the Knicks, Celtics, Pistons, and Nets, but whatever it was, he set it aside and revived his career as a sixth man extraordinaire for the Lakers. Acquired during the ’81-’82 season to replace the injured Mitch Kupchak, McAdoo played in four consecutive NBA Finals with the Lakers, winning titles in two of them. He was the Lakers’ leading bench scorer in all four of those seasons, showcasing that face-up offensive style that made his early career so dynamic. After one season with the 76ers in ’85-’86, McAdoo extended and revived his career even further by relocating to Italy, where he remained a star player until the age of 42. He eventually became an assistant coach for the Miami Heat, earning three more championship rings.

1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

Abdul-Jabbar won six MVP trophies in his first 11 seasons in the league, but only one title, in 1971 with the Bucks. His Milwaukee team fell just short in the 1974 NBA Finals and his later Lakers teams were perennial playoff disappointments. They bowed out meekly in the first round in 1978 and in the second round in 1979, before drafting Magic Johnson. Abdul-Jabbar was actually the league MVP in Johnson’s rookie season but his sprained ankle during the NBA Finals led to the rise of Magic as the franchise’s leader. Thus we entered the second half of Abdul-Jabbar’s career and it was still a stellar one. He became the oldest player in NBA history to win Finals MVP, at age 38 in 1985. There was also an All-Star appearance in every season of the ’80s and he was named to the All-NBA team five more times. Eventually, Abdul-Jabbar obliterated the Lakers franchise blocks record and ended up second in points and rebounds. He’s still secondary to Johnson in Lakers lore but Abdul-Jabbar is the only teammate who can lay claim to a greater overall career.

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