June 8, 2004 - A second round draft pick out of Arizona, Luke Walton was catching DNP-CDs left and right during the 2004 postseason. But then the Los Angeles Lakers sustained a surprise loss to the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and suddenly head coach Phil Jackson found himself in need of an on-court catalyst to complement Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Enter: Luke Walton.

Despite having not stepped on an NBA floor during live action for over a week, Walton came off the bench to play 28 minutes, scoring seven points and delivering a team-high eight assists (five more assists than starting point guard Gary Payton). Walton's unselfish play served its purpose, propelling the Lakers to their only win of the 2004 NBA Finals.

Walton played over eight seasons in Los Angeles, winning two championships alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in 2009 and 2010.

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