In the 2024/25 season Los Angeles Lakers A total of 506 players were trained for them, back when they were in Minneapolis. Some were memorable, some were usable, some were good, and a select few were downright legendary.
As the Lakers enter their 80th season (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is looking at every player who has worn their jersey, be it the purple and gold or the one they wore back in the Midwest in their early days.
Michael Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, was one of the game's most naturally talented scorers during his prime. A 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward, he could stack buckets, and in his lone season at Kansas State University, he averaged 26.2 points on 53.2% shooting from the field and 12.4 rebounds per game.
But for some reason, he never realized his potential as a professional. His best performance came in his third season in the NBA, when he averaged 19.2 points per game with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he never averaged 15 points per game in any other season.
Beasley signed with the Lakers as a free agent in the summer of 2018. Coming off the bench in all but two of his 26 games with them, he scored seven points in 10.7 minutes per game. In early February, the Lakers traded him and Ivica Zubac to the Lakers. Los Angeles Clippers for Mike Muscala, and the deal was widely criticized by many. Beasley was waived by the Clippers soon after and he never played in the NBA again.
