The Los Angeles Lakers will add to their collection of statues outside their downtown arena, with former head coach Phil Jackson getting the bronze treatment on April 9 of next year.
Jackson will become the ninth member of the organization to be honored with a statue, joining players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal; players/team executives Elgin Baylor, Pat Riley and Jerry West, and broadcaster Chick Hearn.
Two statues honor Bryant, with a third scheduled to be revealed at a future date. Riley was the last to receive a statue outside Crypto.com Arena when he was honored in February.
Jackson guided the Lakers to five titles and seven NBA Finals appearances in his 11 seasons as head coach from 1999 to 2011, not including the 2004-05 season, which he skipped after a dispute with management.
The Lakers reached the playoffs in every season Jackson was the head coach.
Jackson also coached the Chicago Bulls for nine seasons (1989-98) and won six titles. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
