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.

During the Lakers' 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.

Even as the Lakers won championship after championship during the decade of the 1980s, they were seen as being relatively weak at the power forward position. In 1985, they took a significant step toward rectifying that issue when they took A.C. Green, a 6-foot-9 prospect from Oregon State University, with the No. 23 pick in the NBA draft.

He didn't play a lot as a rookie, but early in his second year, he became a regular starter and supplanted Kurt Rambis in the team's starting five. Green wasn't a true scoring threat, but he could hit the 18-to-20-foot jumper, as well as run the floor and finish in transition, and while he was a lean 225 pounds, he was physical and very active defensively and on the boards.

With him holding down the 4 position, the Lakers won NBA championships in 1987 and 1988, giving them five titles in the decade and making them the team of the 1980s. Green spent each of his first eight seasons with the team and averaged 11.3 points and 7.9 rebounds a game during that time.

He left the team in 1993, but he returned six years later to help a new generation of Lakers players reach the promised land. By this time, Green wasn't quite the same player, but his defense, rebounding and experience helped Los Angeles win it all in 2000 for the first time with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

After one more season with the Miami Heat, Green retired from the NBA with career averages of 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game. Not only did he win three world titles, but he also established a league record by playing in 1,192 consecutive games, a streak that started in the fall of 1986 and lasted until his final game in 2001.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 45 — A.C. Green