Los Angeles Lakers to honour Phil Jackson with statue

The Los Angeles Lakers will honour former head coach Phil Jackson with a bronze statue outside their downtown arena on April 9th next year, adding another legendary figure to the franchise’s growing collection of statues.

Jackson will become the ninth member of the Lakers organisation to receive the honour.

He will join an illustrious group that includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal, as well as Elgin Baylor, Pat Riley, Jerry West and legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn.

Bryant is honoured by two statues, while a third is scheduled to be unveiled at a future date. Riley became the latest Lakers figure to receive a statue when he was honoured outside Crypto.com Arena in February.

Jackson enjoyed remarkable success during his 11 seasons as Lakers head coach between 1999 and 2011, leading the team to five NBA championships and seven NBA Finals appearances.

He did not coach during the 2004-05 season after stepping away following a dispute with the organisation.

Under Jackson, the Lakers reached the playoffs in every season he served as head coach, further cementing his place among the franchise’s most successful coaches.

Before joining the Lakers, Jackson spent nine seasons in charge of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998. He guided Michael Jordan and the Bulls to six NBA championships during that period.

Jackson’s achievements earned him induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007, recognising a coaching career that produced 11 NBA titles and established him as one of basketball’s greatest coaches.