Robert Marvi, LeBron WireSun, November 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM UTC·1 min readThrough 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.
During the Lakers' 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.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter starring at the University of South Carolina, where he won two ACC Player of the Year awards, John Roche started his pro basketball career with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association in the 1971-72 season. After several seasons in the ABA, he jumped to the NBA, where the Phoenix Suns traded him to the Lakers, along with a 1976 second-round draft pick, for a future head coach named Pat Riley just prior to the 1975-76 campaign.
Roche, a 6-foot-3 point guard, appeared in 15 games that season with the Lakers and had a total of eight points, three rebounds and six assists in 52 minutes. Afterward, he temporarily retired to pursue a law degree, but he returned to the league in 1979 for three more seasons with the Denver Nuggets.
He retired after the 1981-82 season with career stats of 11.2 points and 3.9 assists a game in both the ABA and NBA.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers jersey history No. 15 — John Roche
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