The Los Angeles Lakers have as storied a history as just about any other pro sports team, and while the Boston Celtics have just surpassed them in total NBA championships, they still have an argument as the most successful basketball team ever.
While 11 of the Celtics’ 18 titles were won prior to 1970, at a time when there were no more than 14 teams in the league, the Lakers have done most of their winning in modern times. Eleven of their 17 world championships have been won since 1980, with six of them coming in the 21st century.
They won those six most recent Larry O’Brien Trophies thanks to the incredible talents of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James.
On Thursday, ESPN named its top athletes of the 21st century across all sports. Swimmer Michael Phelps, who won an incredible 23 Olympic gold medals, took the top spot, with tennis legend Serena Williams right behind him.
Where did Bryant, O’Neal and James rank on this list?