SOUTHLAND’S BEST

FIRST TEAM

FORWARD

Elgin Baylor

Lakers

Before he hurt his knee, he was something, the Larry Bird/Julius Erving of his day. Too bad it was before the NBA broke out and so few saw it.

FORWARD

James Worthy

Lakers

The perfect forward to complement Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, he could do it all--run the floor, play in the post, score big numbers--but was OK if he didn’t get to.

CENTER

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Scoring the NBA record, 38,387 points, says it all. He lacked something in passion but he was the greatest, longest-lasting go-to guy of them all.

GUARD

Magic Johnson

Lakers

They broke all the molds when they made him, a 6-foot-9 player who was not only a point guard, but indisputably the best point guard of all time.

GUARD

JERRY WEST

Lakers

They called him Mr. Clutch, and no one may ever have played with as much heart. The NBA so adored him, it put his silhouette on the league’s logo.

SECOND TEAM

Forward

Jamaal Wilkes

A silky scorer from the early days of Showtime. You barely knew he was around--and then he had 20.

Forward

A.C. Green

The beating heart of Showtime. Small in stature but so indomitable, he’s still going today at age 36.

Center

Wilt Chamberlain

If Paul Bunyan had been a basketball player, he’d have been Wilt. Chamberlain played only five Laker seasons but they were memorable.

Guard

Gail Goodrich

West’s left-handed sidekick, nicknamed “Stumpy,” he looked like a fancy gunner from the suburbs, but he was a tough cookie who took it to the hole against the big guys.

Guard

Byron Scott

Another perfect role player on the Showtime teams, he was a jump-shooter who spotted up when Magic drove and ran the floor when Johnson pushed it up.