Lakers Season Countdown: 33 days, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

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 33 days until the regular season begins, with the leading scorer in NBA history.

Who wore it the best: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

(Credit: Focus On Sport, Getty Images)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr, played in the NBA for 20 years, 6 with the Bucks & 14 with the Lakers. While Kareem is often overlooked in the 'GOAT' debates, he has quite a resume that would prove otherwise. He won 71 consecutive games in high school. In college, at UCLA, he played in and won 3 consecutive National Championship games and earned MVP of the NCAA tournament all 3 times. After being selected #1 overall by the Bucks in the 1969 NBA draft, he led them to an NBA Championship in 1971, and won the NBA Finals MVP award.

After being traded to the Lakers in 1975, he led the Lakers to 8 Finals appearances, winning 5 of them and earning NBA Finals MVP 1 of those times. Kareem's "go-to" move, the Sky-hook, has been called the most impossible shot to defend in the history of the NBA. Kareem played in the NBA until he was 41 years old. He was a 19-time All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA selection and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection. He led his team to the playoffs 18 times, missing the playoffs only twice, and his team reached the NBA Finals 10 out of the 20 years he was in the NBA. Kareem is still currently the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

Who wore it last: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Nobody will ever wear this number again, as the Lakers have retired it. It will forever sit in the rafters at Staples Center.

#33 - Who has worn it:

Bob Williams (1956-1957)

Hot Rod Hundley (1958-1963)

Cotton Nash (1965)

John Fairchild (1966)

Tom Hawkins (1967-1969)

Mike Lynn (1970)

Travis Grant (1973-1974)

Cazzie Russell (1975)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1976-1989)