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.
As the Lakers approach their 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 1993, the Lakers were starting a long-term rebuilding project following the retirement of Magic Johnson. They badly needed viable young talent, and they got such a player with the No. 37 pick in that year’s draft in guard Nick Van Exel.
Van Exel had put up good numbers at the University of Cincinnati and was expected to be a first-round pick, but he fell because of concerns about his attitude. But he also possessed deft ball-handling skills, the ability to hit from long distance as well as penetrate, plus solid passing skills. He seemed to believe from day one that he could play the game at a high level in the NBA, and he was right.
In his NBA regular-season debut, he scored 23 points on 9-of-13 field-goal shooting and eight assists as L.A. defeated the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns, 116-108. Overall, Van Exel’s rookie year was a struggle, as he shot under 40% from the field and the team missed the playoffs with a 33-49 record.
But his second season would be a different story. He averaged 16.9 points and 8.3 assists a game and improved his shooting efficiency, and the Lakers, who were buoyed by a fine rookie guard named Eddie Jones and the arrival of All-Star forward Cedric Ceballos, returned to the playoffs. Van Exel established that year that he was an excellent player, as well as someone who wanted the basketball in the moments that made the difference between winning and losing.
In those days before Kobe Bryant, Van Exel was the Lakers’ designated crunch-time option. He hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that season to down the Boston Celtics on the road, and in the second round of the playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs, who had the league’s best record, he swished a running 3-pointer to win Game 5 in overtime.
Once Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal arrived, the team was expected to compete for the NBA championship. Van Exel continued to put up good numbers and made the All-Star team in 1998, but he had issues getting along with head coach Del Harris. During a practice following Game 3 of the 1998 Western Conference finals, with L.A. trailing in the series 3-0, Van Exel and his teammates brought their hands together and were expected to yell “1…2…3…Lakers.” Instead, Van Exel substituted the word “Cancun” for the word “Lakers,” implying he was ready to put on his swim trunks and go on vacation.
That was the final straw. The guard was traded to the Denver Nuggets shortly after the team got swept in Game 4 of that series by the Utah Jazz. All it got back in return was Tony Battie and Tyronn Lue, two marginal role players.
Van Exel would have several more productive seasons with the Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. He ended his NBA career in 2006 with lifetime averages of 14.4 points and 6.6 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 9 — Nick Van Exel
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
