Lakers Season Countdown: 25 days, Gail Goodrich

We're getting ready for a brand new season of Los Angeles Lakers basketball, so to count down the days we'll be looking at the best Lakers to wear the number. We'll continue at 25 days until the regular season begins, with one of the purest scoring lefties in the history of the NBA.

Who wore it the best: Gail Goodrich

(Credit: Focus On Sport, Getty Images)

Gail Goodrich was selected as a territorial pick by the LA Lakers in the 1965 NBA draft. Goodrich was given the nickname "Stumpy" by his teammate Elgin Baylor, because of his height and short legs. He was the leading scorer for the team that won 33 consecutive games, and eventually the NBA Championship. He was a 5-time All-Star. In 1996, 17 years after his retirement from professional basketball, Goodrich was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Although he had a great playing career for the Lakers, he made a huge impact on the franchise that extended beyond his playing year. After the 1975-76 season, Goodrich signed a 3 year deal with the New Orleans Jazz. Per league rules at the time, the Lakers were to receive compensation for losing a veteran free agent. The Jazz agreed to send their 1979 first round pick to the Lakers. When the Jazz finished with the worst record in the league, the Lakers received the top overall selection in the draft, in which they selected Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Who wore it last: Eddie Jones

Eddie Jones played college basketball at Temple University and was named the 1993–94 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. After his junior year he declared for the NBA draft. The Los Angeles Lakers selected Jones 10th overall in the 1994 NBA draft. Jones would go onto start in 58 games for the Lakers, and averaged 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists & 2.0 steals in 31 minutes per game. He was voted to the All-Rookie 1st team and was 4th in the Rookie of the Year ballot.

Eddie Jones instantly became a fan favorite in Los Angeles, as he played very similarly to former Laker great, Michael Cooper. After his second year in Los Angeles, the Lakers decided they were going to retire #25 for Gail Goodrich, who was elected into the Hall of Fame. So, Jones decided to change his number to 6, and stated that he did so because he was a big fan of Julius Erving when he was growing up as a kid. We'll continue with the rest of Eddie Jones' career when we get to #6 in this series.

#25 - Who has worn it:

Leroy Ellis (1963-196)

Gail Goodrich (1971-1976)

Ollie Mack (1980)

Alan Hardy (1981)

Mitch Kupchak (1984-1986)

Keith Owens (1992)

Eddie Jones (1995-1996)