Ice Cube Has One Glaring Omission On Lakers' All-Time Starting Five

Rapper Ice Cube is well respected for his opinion on sports. He is knowledgeable in most areas, especially the Los Angeles scene. He may have, however, ruffled a few feathers with his latest hot take.

During a recent interview, he was asked about his Lakers all-time starting five. He picked Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain.

ICE CUBE GIVES HIS ALL TIME LAKERS STARTING FIVE! Do You Agree With His Lineup?! #fyp #NBA #lakers #

Posted by Makeshift Hoops on Saturday, July 12, 2025

All of those are great players and Hall of Famers. But there is one glaring player left off: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was the league's all-time leading scorer before James broke it a few seasons ago. Some consider Abdul-Jabbar among the NBA's greatest players but he isn't in the Lakers' starting lineup?

NBA GREAT CALLS OUT LEBRON

NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton never won a championship during his career. Standing in his way was Michael Jordan in the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Jordan twice denied Stockton's Utah Jazz of a championship, defeating them in 1997 and `98.

Stockton played during an era when it was uncommon for players to jump teams in search of a ring. That's why he has no regrets of never winning a title.

"I kind of like brag on Michael Jordan a little bit," Stockton said on a podcast appearance. "I think we were similar built with the Jazz, where guys just tighten their belt up and say, `You know what, let's go to work, we just got to get better. We've got to play harder. We've got to play smarter instead of just, `where's the grass greener? I'm going to go there and win a championship."''

Stockton was referring to today's players such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who hopped around the league to win titles. James started it when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers to team with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat in 2010. They won two championships in four straight appearances in the NBA Finals.

James later returned to Cleveland to win a title in 2016 and then grabbed another with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Durant made a similar move when he left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors, where he won two rings.

"I think it devalues that," Stockton said. "You're not climbing the mountain. You're taking the helicopter to the top."

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