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.
Midway through the 1964-65 season, the Lakers signed Bill McGill, a 6-foot-9 big man, as a free agent. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1962 NBA Draft out of the University of Utah and had spent much of his childhood in the Los Angeles area, and he had played for four different NBA teams by the time he came to the Lakers.
With L.A., McGill appeared in eight games and averaged 1.9 points and 1.5 rebounds in 4.6 minutes a game. He spent the next three years in the North American Basketball League before moving to the American Basketball League (ABA) in 1968 for two more seasons before retiring.
He ended his career with lifetime averages of 10.5 points and 4.4 rebounds in 17.3 minutes a game across both the NBA and ABA. He has been credited with inventing the jump hook.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 40 — Bill McGill
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
