A look back at Sedale Threatt, who was the Lakers’ point guard and glue guy during one of the most depressing eras in their history.
In this ongoing series, we take a trip to yesteryear to highlight Los Angeles Lakers players whom some fans may have forgotten. These players didn’t get the billing that some others enjoyed, but they were instrumental to the Lakers’ success.
Sedale Threatt was a good player who had the misfortune of playing for the Lakers during one of the weakest eras in their storied history. But he did plenty to help keep them at least somewhat competitive during the years in which they were searching for an identity, not to mention a new transcendent superstar or two.
In the Lakers’ 1992 regular season finale, Sedale Threatt, an unheralded guard forced into a huge role, led his team into the playoffs.
When Magic Johnson announced on Nov. 7, 1991, that he was HIV positive and was immediately retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers, it looked like they were royally screwed.
The rest of the roster was aging, and they lacked a legitimate starting-quality point guard and floor general.
Just weeks earlier, L.A. had traded for veteran guard Sedale Threatt in an attempt to have a reliable backup for Johnson. Threatt had never averaged more than 12.7 points or 3.8 assists per game in eight seasons in the NBA.
Suddenly, he was forced to start at point guard and keep the Purple and Gold afloat, and that he did.
He put up 15.1 points and 7.2 assists a game in the 1991-92 season, and he also notched 2.0 steals per game, leading legendary Lakers play-by-play man Chick Hearn to nickname him “The Thief.”
But with multiple starters on the injured list late in the season, the Lakers were on the verge of missing the playoffs. They needed to win their final regular-season game, which was against the Los Angeles Clippers, to avoid that fate.
Threatt got the job done, scoring 24 points and hitting the game-winning shot in overtime to send his team to the playoffs for the 16th consecutive year.
Showtime may have been over, but Threatt at least allowed the Lakers to maintain a bit of dignity for a little while longer.
Sixers Wire is now ranking the top five players to wear the number 3 jersey in Philadelphia 76ers history.
When one thinks of the number 3 in Philadelphia 76ers history, they automatically think Allen Iverson and for good reason. The guy is one of the all-time greats in franchise history and the number is retired in his honor.
However, there are 17 total players in the history of the franchise who wore the number 3. None of those guys had that type of success that Iverson had, but four other players deserve some recognition for wearing the uniform number in franchise history.
Just as we did with the number 1, we are going to rank the top five players in franchise history to wear the number 3 in Sixers history. The criteria will include individual success, longevity with the franchise, and team impact. With that said, let’s get into it!
