This article is part of our NBA All-Quarter Century Team series.
Few NBA franchises have achieved the lofty heights that the Los Angeles Lakers have soared since the dawn of the millennium, with six NBA championships and some of the sport's brightest stars suiting up in Tinseltown during that stretch. With Hall of Famers like the late Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Pau Gasol joining future ones like LeBron James, the standard of entry for the Lakers' 'All-Quarter-Century' team is daunting, though the team at RotoWire.com did the legwork on which Lakers stars made the cut, with a few surprises dotted in among the stars above.
Visit RotoWire's basketball betting section for the latest NBA odds and futures and player props from various sportsbooks!
Los Angeles Lakers Quarter Century Team
Derek Fisher (2000-2004, 2007-2012)
The first member of L.A.'s team is the man who ran the point for some of the Lakers' best teams, with Fisher winning five titles in his 915-game run with the Lakers from 1996-97 through 2011 (in two stints with the team during that stretch). In total, Fisher averaged 7.9 points and 2.9 assists per game with the Lakers, with 45.3 win shares in those contests. While Fisher lacked the pizzazz of a Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O'Neal, his steely presence in the backcourt on some of the Lakers' best teams was more than enough to earn Fisher a spot on the team's 'All-Quarter-Century' team.
Kobe Bryant (2000-2016)
While some would argue that a legend like Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Magic Johnson would serve as the icon for the franchise, there's a strong argument to be made that the Lakers' all-time cornerstone player was the late Kobe Bean Bryant. Bryant is L.A.'s all-time leader in career win shares, with 172.7 across 1,346 games with the Lakers from 1996-97 through 2015-16, ranking ahead of West (162.6), Abdul-Jabbar (158.7) and Johnson (155.8) on the team's list. In his legendary run with the club, Bryant won one NBA MVP (in 2007-08) while making 18 All-Star teams and being named to 15 All-NBA teams, cementing his status as one of the best guards in league history.
LeBron James (2018-Present)
The man that is up there with NBA luminaries like Bryant and Michael Jordan as one of the best to ever play in the league is the third man to make L.A.'s 'All-Quarter-Century' team, as LeBron has already amassed 65.3 win shares across 294 games with the Lakers from 2018-19 through 2024-25. In that time, James has averaged 26.6 points, 8.1 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game, continuing to defy Father Time by being one of the best players in the league at the age of 40. While many would associate 'The King' with his time in Cleveland, there's no denying that James has left his indelible mark on the Lakers during his seven-year run with the club, ultimately earning him a spot on L.A.'s 'All-Quarter-Century' team.
Pau Gasol (2007-2014)
The Spanish big man was a quiet assassin in the paint for the Lakers over the years, ultimately guiding his path to the Basketball Hall of Fame by making three All-NBA teams during his time with the team from 2007-08 through 2013-14. The 2001-02 NBA Rookie of the Year with the Memphis Grizzlies achieved the heights of his NBA career with the Lakers, winning two NBA titles in 2009 and 2010 and serving as Bryant's frontcourt emissary during that stretch. For his labor, Gasol earns a spot on L.A.'s 'All-Quarter-Century' team, alongside some of the sport's greatest players to ever do it.
Shaquille O'Neal (2000-2004)
The 'Big Diesel' achieved many of his rim-shattering achievements as a member of the Lakers organization, winning the MVP in 1999-2000 and reaching the All-Star Game each year from 1996-97 through 2003-04 (with the exception of the 1998-99 strike-shortened season). Shaq currently ranks seventh on the Lakers' all-time win share leaderboard, at 97.0, but achieved most of his NBA accolades with the club. Through it all, Shaq averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in the 514 games he played with the Lakers, teaming up with Bryant to build one of the sport's most feared dynasties under head coach Phil Jackson in Southern California during the late '90s and early aughts.
