The Lakers will be doing quite a bit of celebrating this year. On December 28, the Lakers will retire Jamaal Wilkes' No. 52 jersey in honor of his induction into the Hall of Fame this offseason.
Wilkes played eight seasons with the Lakers after starring at UCLA and playing his rookie season with the Warriors. In those eight seasons, Wilkes contributed to two championship teams and made three All-Star teams. Wilkes averaged better than 20.0 points per game three times in his Lakers career, helping bridge the gap between and keep the Lakers more than competitive while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (who will have his statute unveiled at Staples Center this season) waited for Magic Johnson to arrive.
Wilkes made his mark in the NBA with a 36-point effort in Game Six of 1980 Finals, the game Kareem famously sat out and Magic famously played center for. That was Wilkes' second championship.
Wilkes is not quite a household name. He turned into the third player on those Lakers championship teams he played for and was a solid borderline superstar who did what it took to win. So today's preview video looks back on Jamaal Wilkes and his career.
What is Jamaal Wilkes' legacy? Did he deserve his Hall of Fame nod? Join the discussion by commenting below or hashtagging #LakersDay on @CrossoverNBA!
