Lakers jersey history No. 42 — Walt Hazzard
Lakers jersey history No. 42 — Walt Hazzard
Robert Marvi, LeBron WireSun, May 31, 2026 at 12:02 PM UTC
0
Lakers jersey history No. 42 — Walt Hazzard
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.
After winning an NCAA championship at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as an Olympic gold medal with the United States in 1964, Walt Hazzard was taken with the No. 5 pick in the 1964 NBA Draft by the Lakers. He became a key member of the Lakers' rotation, and in three seasons with them, he averaged 9.4 points and 3.8 assists in 21.2 minutes a game.
Advertisement
The 6-foot-2 guard was taken by the Seattle SuperSonics in the expansion draft in 1967, and that season, he made the All-Star team by averaging 24 points and 6.2 assists a game. He played for three other teams over the rest of his career, and he ended his playing career in 1974 with lifetime averages of 12.6 points and 4.9 assists in 26.5 minutes per game.
Hazzard later went on to become a coach, first at Compton Community College and Chapman College, before being hired to be the Bruins' head coach in 1984. He was at the helm of the Bruins for four seasons, and during that time, they won an NIT championship and a Pac-10 tournament title.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 42 — Walt Hazzard
Source: “AOL Sports”
