So Cal's All-Time Roster: No. 52
No. 52:
Our pick:
==Keith Wilkes, UCLA basketball (1971-'74); Jamaal Wilkes, Lakers (1977-'85), Clippers ('85-'86)
Smooth as silk, whever he went, starting as a prep All-American at Santa Barbara High before he joined the Walton Gang at UCLA for NCAA titles in '72 and '73 and the semifinal loss in '74. During that run came the 88-game win streak. Keith Wilkes numbers at UCLA: 15 points a game, 7.4 rebounds a game and a shooting percentage of 51.4, named to the first-team Academic All-America in his last three years.
Golden State took him in the '74 NBA draft (and he was the NBA's Rookie of the Year on the NBA championship team), and he changed his name to Jamaal Abdul-Lateef, but kept his surname through his pro career. He merged into the Lakers' plans as a free agent starting with the '77-'78 season where he started hitting those "20 foot layups" as Chick Hearn described them from the corner off passes from Magic Johnson. A three-time NBA All-Star (twice with the Lakers in '81 and '83), Wilkes played his last season with the Clippers before retiring with 14,644 points (averaging 17.7 a game), 5,117 rebounds, 2,050 assists and 1,049 steals.
And if you ever hit the video stores and happen to rent "Cornbread, Earl and Me," that's Wilkes, playing the title character, Nathaniel "Cornbread" Hamilton, along with a very young Laurence Fishburne and washed up Antonio Fargas.
Runner ups:
==Rod Martin, USC football ('75-'76)
==Marv Goux, USC football ('52-'55)
==Jack Del Rio, USC football ('81-'84)
==Happy Hairston, Lakers ('69-'75)
==Tim Crews, Dodgers ('87-'92)
==Burr Baldwin, Los Angeles Dons ('48-'49)
In his post-UCLA career.
Sports Illustrated's choice for the all-time No. 52: Ray Lewis.
Did we miss anyone?
You've got our vote, now let's see yours: