Lakers jersey history No. 35 — Billy Ray Bates

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.

While at Kentucky State University, Billy Ray Bates was productive and averaged 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds a game, including nearly 23 points per game in his junior and senior seasons. The Houston Rockets took him in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft, and after spending the 1978-79 season and part of the following season in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), he made his NBA debut with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged double figures in scoring in each of his first three NBA seasons. But his production greatly declined during the 1982-83 campaign as a member of the Washington Bullets, and they released him after 15 games.

The Lakers signed Bates late that season. They were the defending world champions, but they were in the process of being hit by injuries to James Worthy and Bob McAdoo. Bates didn't exactly pull his own weight, as he shot just 2-of-16 and scored five points in four regular-season games with Los Angeles. He didn't get a single second of playing time during the postseason, as he was released just 10 days after arriving on the team.

Afterward, Bates joined the Philippine Basketball Association, where he became a big star and won a league championship. He also had stints in Switzerland, Mexico and Uruguay.