Lakers jersey history No. 34/No. 89 — Clyde Lovellette

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.

Clyde Lovellette averaged 24.5 points and 10.2 rebounds a game during his three years on the varsity squad at the University of Kansas. As a senior in the 1951-52 season, he led the nation in scoring with an average of 28.4 points a game while driving the Jayhawks to the NCAA championship, and that same year, he helped the United States win a gold medal in basketball during the Summer Olympics.

The Lakers made Lovellette the No. 10 pick in the 1952 NBA Draft. He made his NBA debut during the 1953-54 season, and the 6-foot-9 forward helped the Lakers win their fifth championship in six seasons that year. With the legendary George Mikan retiring following that championship run, Lovellette expanded his game and became a primary scoring threat. He averaged 17.2 points and 11.2 points a game in four seasons with Minneapolis and was named to the All-Star team in 1956 and 1957.

He was traded to the Cincinnati Royals in 1957, and a year later, the Royals traded him to the St. Louis Hawks. In 1962, Lovellette was sent to the Boston Celtics, where he spent his final two years. He played a reduced role there, but he won two more NBA titles, making him the rare player who has won it all with both the Lakers and Celtics. He's also one of eight players who have won an NCAA title, an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal.

Lovellette retired with career averages of 17 points and 9.5 rebounds a game across 11 seasons in the NBA. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988.