The University of Memphis' men's basketball team has played in the NCAA Tournament 29 times, and it made it all the way to the national championship game in 1973 and 2008. It has produced some notable NBA talents, such as Tyreke Evans, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Derrick Rose.
In all, 55 members of the Tigers have been drafted into the NBA, including rising star center Jalen Duren. Here is a look at the four Tigers players the Lakers have taken in the draft over the years.
John Wallisa -- forward
Wallisa played one year at the University of Memphis, and he averaged 19.8 points a game during that season. The Lakers took him in the 17th round of the 1952 draft, but he didn't play in the NBA.
Wayne Yates -- center
Yates started out his college basketball career at New Mexico State University,
and after two years there, he transferred to the University of Memphis. He averaged 17.5 points and 14.4 rebounds a game during his final year of college.
He was the No. 5 pick in the 1961 draft by the Lakers, and he appeared in 37 games as a rookie with them, averaging 1.9 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.1 minutes a game. Yates spent the next season with the Oakland Oaks of the American Basketball League, and he later became a coach at Memphis State University and Northwestern State University.
Larry Finch -- guard
In three years with the Tigers, Finch put up 22.3 points per game. After the Lakers took him in the fourth round of the 1973 draft, he spent two years in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Memphis Tams/Sounds.
Finch later became the Tigers' head coach, a role he held from 1986 to 1997.
Andre Turner -- guard
Turner registered 10.9 points and 5.8 assists a game during his four years with the Tigers. The Lakers selected him in the third round of the 1986 draft and later waived him, and he ended up playing six seasons in the NBA for seven different teams. He logged averages of 4.5 points and 3.1 assists in 14.8 minutes a game during his time in the league.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Every University of Memphis player drafted by the Lakers
