The Los Angeles Lakers have some of the best players and coaches in NBA history, and have won 17 championships during their tenure with the team.
Perhaps no one honors current and former members of the franchise more than the Lakers, whether through numbers on retired jerseys, a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena, or a variety of other ways.
This season is special because the Lakers will retire Michael Cooper’s No. 21 jersey after he is finally inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The organization also recently announced plans to erect a statue of former coach Pat Riley in the next few years.
Riley was the architect of Showtime with the Lakers, winning four championships as head coach. However, when news of his statue broke, many wondered if the Lakers would eventually erect a statue of Phil Jackson. According to NBA insider Mark Stein, they are planning to erect a statue of Jackson:
Another rumor regarding future issues: The Lakers recently announced that they have begun construction of a Pat Riley statue to be erected outside the Crypto.com Arena, which is believed to be Phil’s final announcement. Prelude to the construction of the Phil Jackson statue. Riley led the Lakers to four championships in the 1980s. Jackson led the Lakers to five championships in two stints;
That’s great news, and Jackson has earned it: He played for the team twice and won five championships. He joined the team in 1999 and won three straight championships early in his tenure, along with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
After a brief hiatus, Jackson returned and won two more championships with Bryant in 2009 and 2010.
In his two years as coach, Jackson compiled a 610-292 record, the highest win-loss record in franchise history. He won five championships and reached the NBA Finals seven times, the most of any Lakers coach.
Since Riley’s statue won’t be completed until 2026, it’s not yet known when the Lakers will build and unveil Jackson’s statue, but no matter what day comes, it will be a well-deserved celebration for Jackson.
Jeanie Buss recently spoke about Phil Jackson’s time with the Lakers and praised him for creating a family atmosphere within the team.
“When I dated Phil Jackson when I was 15, I saw a different side of him when I was a kid, so when I became his significant other, I learned to look at the team through the lens of the coach. I remember getting into an argument with him because he was taking the team to practice on Thanksgiving. He said, ‘Why are you doing that? Give them the day off.’ He calmed down. He said, ‘Jenny, I’m letting them practice on Thanksgiving to show them that you should be with your family during the holidays.’ It’s really important when coaches can take advantage of that and create that atmosphere. When you have that family dynamic, you know you have something really special.”
Do you need customized sculptures? We are the manufacturer of sculptures. We can customize sculptures according to your requests.
Post time: Dec-03-2024
