Bill Laimbeer’s Greatest Hits, 1988

We can argue with some of what he does, but not with the consistency with which he does it. Laimbeer has played in 646 consecutive regular-season games. He has started 522 in a row. Those are the longest active streaks in the league.

The Pro’s Pros: Jerry West and John Havlicek, 1969

Both are intense competitors. To say such is to use a cliché used too often about too many. The fact is, under pressure, some choke up, some do as well as they usually do, only a handful do better.

Moses Malone: The Indestructible Sixer, 1984

Moses Malone was the hard hat—6-foot-11, 255 pounds of steel-driving man. He showed up in overalls every night. And when everybody else was wobbly with fatigue, he was the guy still pounding rivets, drenched in sweat, a fierce scowl on his face.

A Banner Day for Lakers: Kareem Takes His Post, 1975

The trade that changed the makeup of the Lakers happened Monday, June 16, 1975, when club owner Jack Kent Cooke announced he had sent four players—Brian Winters, Elmore Smith, David Meyers, and Junior Bridgeman—and a cash payment to the Bucks for Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley. 

Jabbar, Jerry West, and the New Look Lakers, 1978

“Jerry West is one clever dude,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “He was responsible for making us a unified group. And that was the big difference in this team.”