The Los Angeles Lakers have a total of 506 players playing for them throughout the 2024-25 season, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some are forgettable, some are serviceable, some are good, and some are downright legendary.
In the 80th season of the Lakers franchise, founded in 1946 as the Detroit Gems, LeBron Wire is taking a look at every player who has worn one of their uniforms, whether it’s the purple and gold or those from their early days in the Midwest.
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Adrian Branch was a stud at the University of Maryland, averaging 16.4 points per game in four seasons. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1985 NBA draft, and after spending the 1985-86 season in the Continental Basketball Association, he joined the Lakers in the 1986-87 season.
In his only season in Los Angeles, Branch averaged 6.8 minutes and 4.3 points per game and won himself an NBA championship ring. He played three more seasons in the league for three other teams, averaging 6.4 points in 11 minutes per game for his career. The 6-foot-7 forward later played in Australia’s National Basketball League in the early 1990s.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers Jersey History No. 24 — Adrian Branch