The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Tuesday (September 8th) that they will erect a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena to honor their former coach, Phil Jackson, for his achievements.
According to City News Agency, the statue will be unveiled on April 9, 2027, and on that day, the Lakers will play against the Minnesota Timberwolves at their home court.
Jackson will turn 81 at the end of this month. As an NBA head coach, he led teams to win 11 championships, holding the record for most in NBA history, with 5 of those titles won with the Lakers.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss stated in a release on Tuesday, “Phil Jackson stands for championship basketball for a reason. His brilliant coaching ways brought out the best in some of the greatest basketball players in history.”
“After he accepted my father’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unparalleled creativity and pursuit of excellence allowed us to rebuild our championship tradition, winning 5 championships and setting a high bar for future generations,” Buss said. “I feel incredibly honored to commemorate this achievement with this well-deserved statue.”
In the 1990s, Jackson led the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, to win 6 championships, then joined the Lakers before the 1999-2000 season.
At that time, the Lakers had superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, but had struggled to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Jackson’s implementation of the triangle offense with assistant coach Tex Winter immediately paid off, as the Lakers won 3 consecutive NBA championships in his first 3 seasons coaching the team.
After losing to the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-2004 season, Jackson left the Lakers. However, following a disappointing 2004-2005 season, the Lakers rehired Jackson as head coach and he continued to coach until the 2010-2011 season.
O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat after the 2003-2004 season, and the Lakers went through several tough seasons until the acquisition of Pau Gasol, leading to winning NBA championships in the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons.
Following the conclusion of the 2010-2011 season, Jackson stepped down from his coaching duties and later served as president of the New York Knicks from 2014 to 2017.
Born in Montana, Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, and was selected as one of the top 15 coaches in NBA history during the NBA’s 75th-anniversary celebration.
Jackson will be the 9th Lakers member to have a commemorative sculpture in the Lakers’ Star Plaza, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Pat Riley, and Jerry West.
The statue of Jackson will be designed and produced by Omri Amrany of the Rotblatt Amrany Art Studio.