Lakers To Unveil Phil Jackson Statue On April 9

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced a statue for legendary head coach Phil Jackson, that will be unveiled on April 9, 2027 outside of the Crypto.com Arena ahead of their contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jackson is widely considered to be the greatest head coach in the history of the NBA with 11 NBA Championships to his credit, five of those coming with the Lakers.

“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” said Los Angeles Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss. “His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. 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. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”

Jackson spent 11 seasons with the Lakers, initially from 1999-2004 and then returning to lead the team from 2005-2011, making the playoffs every year with those five championships and seven NBA Finals appearances overall. He led the Lakers to a three-peat from 2000-2002 behind the iconic duo of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and then another back-to-back championship reign in 2009 and 2010 with Bryant and Pau Gasol leading the way.

Jackson’s 610 wins with the Lakers is a franchise record as are his 118 playoff wins. He had a .676 win percentage in the regular season and a .652 mark in the postseason with the Lakers posting at least 50 wins in nine of his 11 seasons at the helm. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and was also named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary celebration in 2022.

Jackson will become the ninth member of the Los Angeles Lakers to be commemorated at Star Plaza, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Pat Riley and Jerry West. The statue will be designed and created by Omri Amrany of Rotblatt Amrany Studio.

Danny Green praises Lakers coach JJ Redick

Current Lakers head coach JJ Redick is hoping to even accomplish a fraction of what Jackson did during his time with the franchise, but he has done an excellent job in his two years at the helm so far. And former player Danny Green believes Redick has exceeded expectations since he took the job.