Lakers set to unveil Phil Jackson’s statue in April 2027

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Los Angeles Lakers organization recently announced that it will unveil a statue of Phil Jackson outside Crypto.com Arena to honor the coach who led the team to five NBA championship titles.

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” said Lakers governor Jeanie Buss.

“His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game.”

Arriving in 1999 after a legendary tenure with the Chicago Bulls, Jackson was hired by the Lakers to bring his winning culture to the Western Conference.

The goal was quickly attained, as the “Zen Master” immediately won a title the following year and continued to rule the next two seasons to cap the Lakers’ famous three-peat from 2000–02.

However, Jackson temporarily left the Lakers following their NBA Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons in 2004 but returned after a one-year hiatus.

Jackson’s post-Shaquille O’Neal era exceeded expectations as the two-headed monster of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol won twice under his tutelage, dominating the Orlando Magic with a 4-1 series win in 2009, followed by a hard-fought seven-game series over the Boston Celtics to complete back-to-back championships in 2010.

Before officially retiring in 2011, Jackson became the winningest coach in Lakers franchise history, accumulating a 610-292 regular-season win-loss record.

To immortalize his greatness and valuable contributions to the purple and gold, Jackson will become the ninth member of the Lakers organization to be honored with a statue.

Jackson joins Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Pat Riley, broadcaster Chick Hearn, Bryant, and O’Neal.

“After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come,” Buss added.

“It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”