Ranking the greatest international stars in history to have played for the LA Lakers

With the addition of Luka Doncic, the Los Angeles Lakers will be headed by an international star for the first time in their history.

The team has been spearheaded by some of the greatest NBA players in history, from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson to Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and most recently, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, they couldn't have had their success without international players.

Hachimura has played for the Los Angeles Lakers for the past three seasons with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, helping the Lakers reach the playoffs in the past two seasons, including a run to the Western Conference Finals and helping the Lakers win the first NBA Cup in 2023.

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In the run to the Western Conference Finals in 2023, Hachimura played 16 games, averaging 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds, per StatMuse. In the opening three games of the first round, Hachimura scored 29,20 and 16 points. Can he help take the Lakers to the next level?

Luka Doncic isn't the first Slovenian player to wear yellow and gold. Sasha Vujacic played for the Lakers from 2004 until 2010, winning two championships with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Vujacic was a vital role player for the Lakers in his six years, averaging 15.3 minutes per game and shooting 37.2% from beyond the arc. In the 2010 NBA Finals game seven, Vujacic hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to secure the title over Boston.

Mychal Thompson, the father of Golden State legend Klay Thompson, did not come to the United States until he was a teenager before being selected as the number one overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. He played for the Lakers between 1987 and 1991.

Thompson was part of the 'Showtime' Lakers team that won back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988 with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He averaged 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds and was the perfect backup for Abdul-Jabbar.

Vlade Divac will always be remembered as the player the Lakers traded for Kobe Bryant in the 1996 NBA Draft. However, Divac did play for the Lakers for his first seven seasons, helping the team reach the NBA Finals in 1991.

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Divac was brought in to replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the end of his career, but that didn't quite happen. He averaged 12.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. He ranks fourth in Lakers franchise history with 830 blocked shots.

Canadian-born Rick Fox was an imperative role player in the Lakers' three-straight championship wins between 2000 and 2002, averaging over 27 minutes of play in each of the three titles.

Fox was a bench player on the first title-winning team, but became a starter on the second and third title-winning teams. The guard became a pest for the opposition, similar to Draymond Green.

Luka Doncic hasn't earned the top spot yet, but his credentials heading into the Lakers are worthy enough for him to be put second. The Slovenian guard earned five All-NBA First Team selections by the age of 25 and finished third in MVP voting in 2024.

No one knows how Doncic will fare playing with LeBron James, but you can guarantee his offensive output will be up there with the best in the league. The five-time All-Star has averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game in his career. He averaged 34 points per game last season, taking Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals.

The man who holds the top spot for now is Lakers legend Pau Gasol, who was integral in helping Kobe Bryant lift two NBA Championships in 2009 and 2010. Gasol was just what Bryant needed for title success, earning three All-Star selections in a row from 2008-2011.

Between 2008 and 2011, Gasol averaged 17.7 points and 10 rebounds; without Gasol, Bryant's legacy would not be the same. Thanks to Shaquille O'Neal and Pau Gasol, Bryant finished his career with five NBA Championships.

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