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.
In 1950, the Lakers took Harry Peter “Bud” Grant Jr. in the fourth round of the NBA draft. A 6-foot-3 forward, he went to the University of Minnesota, where he played not only basketball but also football and baseball. The Philadelphia Eagles also took Grant in the first round of the 1950 NFL Draft, but he chose the hardwood over the gridiron.
He played two seasons with the Lakers and averaged 2.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.9 assists a game. The Lakers won the NBA championship during his rookie year, only to lose in the Western Division finals the following year to the Rochester Royals.
Grant’s NBA career ended with that postseason loss, but his athletic career didn’t exactly end there. He’s best remembered for his time in the NFL as both a player and coach. He played two seasons with the Eagles and was a defensive end in his first year there and a wide receiver the following year. In 1952, he caught 56 passes for 997 yards and seven touchdowns, and after that season, he left to join the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League) CFL.
Football fans, especially those in the Midwest, know Grant mostly for his time coaching the Minnesota Vikings. He was their head coach from 1967 to 1983, as well as during the 1985 season, and during that time, they got to the Super Bowl four times on the strength of their defensive line, which was known as the “Purple People Eaters.” Unfortunately, they lost in the big game on all four occasions.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 14/No. 20 — Bud Grant
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
