Marquette University may have won only one NCAA championship in men's basketball, but it has been a respected basketball school for decades. It has reached the NCAA Tournament 37 times and gotten as far as the Final Four three times, with its national title coming in 1977.
Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, one of the greatest shooting guards to ever play in the NBA, once played for the Golden Eagles. Among today's players, Jimmy Butler of the Golden State Warriors is perhaps the most well-known member of the Golden Eagles.
In all, 61 players from Marquette University have been drafted into the NBA, and five of them were taken by the Los Angeles Lakers. Here is a look at each of those five men.
Terry Rand -- center
In three years at Marquette University, Rand averaged 16.8
points and 12.7 rebounds a game. The Lakers took him in the second round of the 1956 draft, but instead of playing in the NBA, he headed to the National Industrial Basketball League, where he spent six seasons.
Jim Chones -- power forward/center
Chones put up 19 points and 11.7 rebounds in his time with the Golden Eagles. He was chosen by the Lakers in the second round of the 1973 draft, but he had already made his pro debut during the 1972-73 season with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association (ABA).
After two seasons in the ABA, Chones jumped to the NBA and played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and he was traded to the Lakers just prior to the start of the 1979-80 season. He played a key role in the Lakers winning the 1980 NBA championship and logged two seasons with them.
Throughout 10 years in both the ABA and NBA, Chones had career averages of 12.5 points and 8.2 rebounds a game.
Earl Tatum -- guard
The Lakers took Tatum in the second round of the 1976 draft after he averaged 12 points and 5.5 rebounds a game in four years at Marquette University. He played one and a half seasons with Los Angeles before it traded him to the Indiana Pacers. He registered 9.6 points in 20 minutes a game over his four seasons in the NBA.
Walter Downing -- center
Downing spent his first two years of college at DePaul University before transferring to Marquette University, and he averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds a game overall in the NCAA. The Lakers took him in the sixth round of the 1986 draft, but he never played in the NBA.
Tony Smith -- guard
Smith played four seasons with the Golden Eagles and averaged 14.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists a game there. As a second-round draft pick of the Lakers in 1990, he spent his first five NBA seasons with the Purple and Gold before moving on to the Phoenix Suns in 1995.
In all, Smith played nine seasons in the league and averaged 5.5 points and 1.9 assists in 16 minutes a game.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Every Marquette University player drafted by the Lakers
