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.
Derrick Williams is someone who was once thought to have serious star potential coming out of the University of Arizona. He was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2011, and he was the No. 2 pick in that year’s NBA draft.
Unfortunately, he never quite panned out. In his seven seasons in the NBA, he averaged double figures in scoring just once, and he finished with a lifetime average of 8.9 points a game on 43.4% field-goal shooting and 30% from 3-point range.
The 6-foot-8 forward’s last season was with the Lakers during the 2017-18 campaign. He was signed to a 10-day contract that March and appeared in two games, totaling two points in nine minutes of playing time.
Williams went on to play for a number of foreign teams after the Lakers decided to let him go following the expiration of that 10-day contract. He is currently a member of the Guaynabo Mets, a pro basketball team in Puerto Rico.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 6 — Derrick Williams
