Kobe Bryant leads for the Lakers’ All-Defensive First Team with 9 honors.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had a bevy of Hall of Fame players take the floor for the franchise. Among them have been some excellent defenders. Let’s dig into their record books and highlight the players who have been selected All-Defensive First Team while playing for the team.
Kobe Bryant – 9 Times (2000, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011)
In addition to being one of the best scorers in franchise history, Bryant was an excellent defender. At one point in his career, he had a stretch of five straight seasons in which he averaged at least 1.5 steals. His best production in the category came in 2002-03 when he averaged 2.2 steals. While he never won the award, Bryant finished inside the top-10 for the Defensive Player of the Year voting six times. In addition to his nine selections to the All-Defensive First Team, Bryant was selected to the All-Defensive Second Team three times.
Michael Cooper – 5 Times (1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988)
Cooper averaged at least 1.4 steals in four of his first six seasons in the NBA. His first All-Defensive First Team selection came during the 1981-82 season when he averaged 1.6 steals. Not only did he make All-Defensive First Team five times during his career, but he was also named All-Defense Second Team three times. Cooper won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the 1986-87 season.
Jerry West – 4 Times (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973)
Steals and blocks were not official stats for most of West’s career. In the lone season that he played when they were tracked, he averaged 2.6 steals and 0.7 blocks. The 1969-70 campaign marked the first time that West was named to the All-Defensive First Team. That season, he also led the league by averaging 31.2 points per game.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 3 Times (1979, 1980, 1981)
Abdul-Jabbar led the league in blocks per game four times during his career, three of which came during his tenure with the Lakers. In addition to his three All-Defensive First Team selections, Abdul-Jabbar won three MVP awards with the Lakers. Across 1,093 career regular-season games with the franchise, he averaged 22.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
Wilt Chamberlain – 2 Times (1972, 1973)
Chamberlain led the league in rebounds per game in four of his five seasons with the Lakers. He made four All-Star teams with the franchise, finished inside the top-5 in MVP voting two times and made two All-Defensive First Teams. Over 330 career regular-season games with the Lakers, Chamberlain averaged 17.7 points, 19.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
Anthony Davis – 2 Times (2020, 2024)
Davis made his first All-Defensive First Team when he still played for the Pelicans. He achieved the feat two times with the Lakers, including his first season with the team. Showing his defensive prowess, he averaged at least 1.1 steals and 1.6 blocks in each of his five full seasons with the team. Across 312 career regular-season games with the Lakers, Davis averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.2 blocks.
