Through the 2024-25 season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had a total of 506 players suit up for them, going back to their days in Minneapolis. Some were forgettable, some were serviceable, some were good and a select few were flat-out legendary.

As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years.

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For five seasons and change, Anthony Davis was LeBron James’ co-superstar, and he was shockingly traded in February for another legitimate superstar in Luka Doncic. Let’s take a brief look back at his time with the Lakers.

When Davis came out of the University of Kentucky, where he was named the SEC Player of the Year and won the NCAA championship, he was compared by some to Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. The big man was the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 by the New Orleans Pelicans, the team he spent his first seven pro seasons with.

While there, he averaged 23.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals a game and earned six straight All-Star nods. Unfortunately, the Pelicans never surrounded him with any real talent, and they made the playoffs just twice with him.

Once Davis arrived in L.A., he instantly became the heavy-hitter the Lakers badly needed to become a legitimate championship contender. He helped them finish first in the Western Conference during the 2019-20 season, and during the playoffs that year, he put up 27.7 points and 9.7 boards a game as the Lakers won the NBA championship.

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His unique blend of skills — he can dominate in the post and near the hoop, but he can also hit perimeter shots and even handle the ball — makes him a very tough foe to handle. He’s also one of the game’s best defenders, not just because of his ability to protect the rim but also because of his ability to switch out onto the perimeter and effectively guard players at all positions.

Of course, Davis has been prone to random injuries throughout his career. He appeared in 132 out of a possible 246 regular-season games over the next three years, and he suffered a groin injury in Game 4 of the first round of the 2021 playoffs, forcing him to miss essentially the rest of the series. The Lakers led the series 2-1 at the time, but with Davis hurt, they lost each of the next three contests.

Fans of the Purple and Gold gave Davis a hard time over the years, not only for being injury-prone, but also for being allegedly soft, lazy and unmotivated. But it is a good bet that now that he’s gone, those fans will start to appreciate him as the years go by, and he may even get his No. 3 jersey retired by the team at some point in the future.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 3 — Anthony Davis