Lakers jersey history No. 3 — Devean George

USA Today

3 days ago

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.
As the Lakers approach their 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.
Here's a look at Devean George, a forward who played for the Lakers during the 2000s.
George, a 6-foot-8 forward, was a star at Augsburg University (then known as Augsburg College), a Division III school located in Minneapolis, Minn., where he won back-to-back Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference MVP awards. Despite playing at a small school that very few people outside of the Midwest were familiar with, George was drafted by the Lakers with the No. 23 selection in the 1999 NBA Draft.
He got very little playing time in his first two seasons, but he started to crack coach Phil Jackson's rotation during the 2001-02 season, his third in the league. He started to become a decent 3-point shooter and defender, and he won the NBA championship in each of his first three pro seasons.
However, George never became a truly viable NBA player. He lacked the ability to put the ball on the floor and make plays without getting out of control and committing a turnover, and he was a bit inconsistent with his outside shooting. Despite being considered the most athletically talented player on the Lakers' roster, outside of perhaps Kobe Bryant, he just didn't pan out.
In retrospect, some felt the Lakers made a mistake by not selecting Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko, whom the Utah Jazz chose with the No. 24 pick in 1999. Once Kirilenko made his NBA debut in the 2001-02 campaign, he instantly became an impactful complementary player on both ends of the floor, and he enjoyed a productive 13-year NBA career.
But George did just well enough to stick with L.A. for seven seasons. He ended up playing 11 seasons in the league and averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.5 minutes a game.