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.
After starring at the University of Notre Dame, David Rivers, a 5-foot-11 guard, came to the Lakers as the No. 25 pick in the 1988 NBA Draft. He averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 assists in 9.4 minutes a game that season as they reached the NBA Finals, only to get swept there by the Detroit Pistons after losing both Byron Scott and Magic Johnson to hamstring injuries.
Rivers played for the Los Angeles Clippers during the 1989-90 and 1991-92 seasons. In between those campaigns, he spent a year in the Continental Basketball Association, and he returned to the CBA midway through the 1991-92 season, where he won the league title with the La Crosse Catbirds.
In 1993, Rivers started a long and productive career in Europe, which included stints in the Greek Basketball League, Betclic Élite in France and the Basketball Super League in Turkey.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 14 — David Rivers
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
