UCLA legend Gail Goodrich was a member of the school's first two NCAA title-winning teams in 1964 and 1965, before becoming the Lakers territorial pick in the 1965 draft.
The 6'1" guard, nicknamed "Stumpy" by teammate Elgin Baylor, was a prolific scorer in college, but had trouble cracking the lineup in his first three seasons with the Lakers. He was made available for the 1968 expansion draft, where he was selected by the Phoenix Suns. Goodrich promptly exploded into a 20 points per game player. He led the Suns in points and assists in his two seasons with the team.
The Lakers were able to reacquire Goodrich in a trade for Mel Counts before the 1970-71 season.
Goodrich, along with shooting guard Jerry West and center Wilt Chamberlain, led the Lakers to a 69-13 record and the NBA title in 1971-72.
From the 1968-69 season to the 1974-75 season, Gail Goodrich was as good a guard as there was in the NBA. During that period, he averaged about 24 points and five assists per game.
Goodrich left the Lakers as a free agent in 1976, finishing his career up with thee seasons as a member of the New Orleans Jazz.
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Tom Smith
From the Forum to Staples: The Top 10 Lakers as Ranked by Your Enemy
September 28th, 2010 by Tom Smith Leave a reply »
Advertisement