Lakers jersey history No. 34 — Pétur Guðmundsson

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.

Pétur Guðmundsson was one of the NBA's first foreign-born players. The 7-foot-2 center grew up in Reykjavík, Iceland, and he moved to the Seattle area at the age of 16 before spending three years at the University of Washington. Although he averaged just 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds a game while with the Huskies, the Portland Trail Blazers saw enough potential in him to take him in the third round of the 1981 NBA Draft.

He averaged 3.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 12.4 minutes a game as a rookie, and he spent the next three years playing in Iceland, England and in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). He returned to the States late in the 1985-86 season to join the Lakers, who had been badly in need of a capable backup behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for some time.

Guðmundsson averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 16 minutes a game through eight regular-season games, plus 3.5 points and 2.2 boards in 9.3 minutes per game during the playoffs that year. He suffered a serious back injury during training camp in the fall of 1986 that forced him to sit out all the 1986-87 campaign, and during that campaign, he was sent to the San Antonio Spurs in the trade that brought the Lakers Mychal Thompson.

After two seasons in San Antonio, Guðmundsson continued his basketball career in the CBA, the United States Basketball League and in Iceland. He finished with NBA career averages of 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.7 minutes a contest.