Gail Goodrich
April 23, 1943 — Los Angeles, California
Gail Charles Goodrich Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who spent the prime of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, helped lead the franchise to an NBA championship as part of one of the greatest single-season teams in basketball history, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
UCLA to the NBA
Born on April 23, 1943 in Los Angeles, Goodrich grew up near downtown and attended Poly High School before playing college basketball at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden, winning two national championships (1964 and 1965). He was the hero of the 1965 championship game against Michigan, scoring 42 points — then an NCAA title game record. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1965 and eventually became one of the team's most important offensive weapons, forming a prolific backcourt alongside Jerry West.
The 1972 Lakers
The 1971–72 Los Angeles Lakers — featuring Goodrich, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Happy Hairston, and Jim McMillian — put together one of the greatest regular seasons in NBA history: 69 wins, including a record 33 consecutive victories that stood until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in 1995–96. Goodrich averaged 25.9 points per game that season — the team's leading scorer — and the Lakers won the NBA championship over the New York Knicks. Goodrich was a five-time All-Star and averaged over 20 points per game across four consecutive seasons in his Lakers prime.
Did You Know?
When the Los Angeles Lakers traded Goodrich to the New Orleans Jazz in 1976 in exchange for three first-round draft picks, those picks turned out to be exceptionally valuable. They eventually became — through various trades — the picks the Lakers used to select Magic Johnson (1979) and James Worthy (1982). The Goodrich trade thus indirectly provided the foundation for two of the greatest Lakers of all time.
Hall of Fame Legacy
Goodrich was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 — a recognition that took longer than many felt his career merited, given that he played alongside larger legends whose shadows partly obscured him. He averaged 18.6 points per game over his career with excellent efficiency for the era. After retiring from basketball he remained involved in the game as an ambassador and in broadcasting. He is remembered as one of the best clutch scorers of the 1970s, a silky lefthanded shooter whose contribution to the 1972 championship team was fundamental even if Chamberlain and West received most of the attention.