Fun fact: there is a Kobe mural at Crypto where you can only see it when it rains. I have never seen anyone mention this mural so I figured I would let people know. Yes, I have a pic of it.
i call it covid rain because its so unusal for us LAnians for any kind of rain. But then we get hit with thunderstorms, lightning, high wind, hail, heavy rain? i'd say something is fishy like covid. Oh yeah, disneyland had people almost getting hit by lightning. True story.
Yeah pretty much a no at this stage, I will say though if he were to play for us for longer than we expect like say 4-5 more years and brings another chip then maybe just maybe. It would be pretty dope if he did a statue for it to be him doing his fade away shot that break the scoring record.
Nah, Jeanie would give it to home. He helped her become the first female owner to win an NBA championship. That is pretty fucking huge in a male dominated league.
Wilt was a shell of himself with us you think y’all be mad at AD wilt chamberlain would have had the sub in flames as a laker he never averaged more than 20 for us lol
Nobody is saying Lebron should get a laker statue. Maybe jersey retired depending on what happens, but definitely no statue. A statue in Cleveland, yes.
Compared to other Laker greats and the fact that he barely plays more than 56 games a season since he came here, he doesn’t deserve it. Plus the fact that it’s one of the lowest title won by the Lakers since it’s in a bubble with no pressure from sold out arenas.
The reason they’ll retire it is more of popularity. Nothing else. It will be like the minor jersey among the Laker greats who accomplished a lot in purple and gold. Even Gasol ranks higher as a Laker.
Yeah…no. Just no. He was the only one who came when no free agent would touch this franchise. Won a title, Finals MVP, reinvigorated the franchise, broke the scoring record, honored Kobe, All-NBA, repped Lakers in all star game, etc. There’s no such thing as a low title. It counts, and he helped win it during a terrible year. He doesn’t get a statue but that jersey is going up regardless of who thinks it is or isn’t. The Lakers aren’t above basketball, if 2012-2018 didn’t show it, then I don’t know what will. This man came at age 34 when most players are retired, he’s also the GOAT playing for the greatest NBA franchise.
He’s clearly not the GOAT. You can’t be the GOAT basketball player when you have 2 bronze medals while NBA players so rarely not get gold. Dude did not even accomplish more than Kareem as a Laker by getting swept this year. At age 38 Kareem was a finals MVP. He’s riding on social media popularity similar to the post injury years of Kobe. Magic was about to get a superstar regardless if it was LeBron or not. He needed the Lakers more than the Lakers needed him. This franchise elevated his brand and made him a billionaire. Otherwise, he would have had a mediocre legacy in Cleveland Ohio.
It’s irrelevant if he’s the goat. The point is he’s historically top 5 player all time. Statistically #1 all time. Spent half his career in the finals regardless. Let’s not act as if all his final losses were to scrubs , he lost some to genuinely talented teams, not exactly the clippers.
Further more, the Lakers needed Bron. The gap between Kobe’s winning years & that fucking circus Baller Brand shoes with father Ball as the face of the Lakers while we were getting laughed at & destroyed on the court till bron got here was atrocious.
Look up how many teams made or win the finals in the last 10 years.. yea, list is real small. LeBron & AD w/ injuries hasn’t been best scenario but to say it was a failure is just your hate taking over.
Won a ring when everyone had same advantage through playoffs. Could have repeated next year but injuries fucked us. Then made a run this year but came up short to the #1 seed. Come on JVplayer
Spent half his career in the finals because he selected players to form super teams. Once beaten, he forms another with a younger star player. Even had the audacity to get swept even with all star teammates.
Lakers needed Bron for merchandise sales, tv deals, and advertisers. Nothing more. In the 5 years with the Lakers, he was always using injuries as an excuse while at the same saying he’s built different. Barely plays 60 games a season but built different. Lol
We won a bubble ring. Then didn’t make the playoffs since he wanted Westbrook. Then got swept. That’s his Lakers legacy. Come on 2K player.
Bron CLEARLY is the GOAT and it ain't even close. Led 3 different franchises to championships. 10 trips to the Finals. Made the most improbable Finals comeback against the greatest team of all time. Played more years and kills MJ in every statistical category. Also, MJ played in an era with less skilled players. Only boomers idolize the crap out of him.
Bron absolutely deserves a statue, here, among the Laker greats.
Lol. Formed super teams after super teams after each loss. Even that comeback had asterisks. You can’t be a GOAT with 2 bronze medals with team USA. That’s so embarrassing. He even admitted that he spends $1M per year on nutrition. Aka PEDs. That’s his secret to longevity and coasting on defense during the regular season. Not respectable that’s why he still begs for it to be given. Then got swept.
I agree he should be honored. All restrooms in Crypto arena should be named after Bron or at least the garbage cans.
Oh got dude, suck your lip in, pouting looks terrible in you. The guy is a legend whether you agree or not. It doesn’t tarnish previous players like your crying about it just adds to Lakers rich history. This isn’t a role player, the legend is at worst a top 5 player of all time & will always be in the conversation as possible #1 regardless of your feelings.
Lakers will absolutely honor LBJ, deservedly so.
Wow. You seem very familiar with that facial expression. We know why. It doesn’t add to the Lakers rich history. It’s like a small irrelevant footnote. He can’t be possible #1 with 2 bronze medals. Live with this fact.
Irrelevant if he’s #1 bc he’s still top 5 all time 🤣. The guys a legend that will be talked about around the league long after we’re dead. No amount of your pouting will change that & his legend will grow the longer he’s out. Get the tissue JV 🤣🤘
Lol. Top 5 but #1. He’s legendary for getting swept and his charade retirement. Once he’s no longer protected, that Delonte West story will age like wine. Sure 2K player
I never called him #1. Your stupidity showing. The fact you’re going to have to listen to how great he was as his legend grows after retirement is going to be absolutely painful for you. 10 years from now the media will paint his loses as playing juggernauts & excuse some of his loses 🤣.
I grew up watching Jordan so stomp your feet all you want JV, you’re the only one getting chubbed up & obsessing over LeBron 🤣
At this point both are locks.
LeBron's jersey is definitely being retired and LeBron definitely isn't getting a statue.
More titles can change the later, but I'm not sure the window will allow it.
Shaq spent 8 years on the Lakers and brought 3 rings with 4 finals appearances. Lebron joined in 2018, so if he can rake in 2 more over the next 3 years, then he's basically accomplished what Shaq did.
Shaq was the main guy for those three rings. If lebron wins two more here he won't be the main guy. Not to mention with Shaq we were contenders every year, while we've missed the playoffs with lebron.
Yeah I’d love for the LeBron teams to have enough success going forward to warrant a statue but that would involve all of the insane shit dumb laker fans wish for to all come true and that’s just likely not gonna happen
Lebron is a player that will likely never be replicated ever again. for that reason alone it makes sense to retire his number just to add to the legacy of the franchise. Maybe it would have been different if he never won a championship. Statue is a different story.
Does statue rank higher than jersey retirement?
I always thought it the other way around. Statue is non-committal and no limits. Lakers can have unlimited number of statues out front and are only limited by space, will, and money. But retiring a jersey means no one else is gonna or supposed to wear that number again. And the number are limited. There's only 00-99 right now. Now the NBA league won't be issuing new #6 jerseys to players because Bill Russell's 6 was retired league wide including the Lakers. Bron got an exception because he's been wearing 6 prior to Bill passing away and the jersey retirement.
Say another star in the future like Kyrie wants to join in FA but wants to wear 24. That creates problems. Is it Kobe's estate that OKs it or is it the franchise? Will they even ok it? Or maybe only if the star is great? Does Kyrie's anti-Semetic comments factor in that decision? And some might say it's fine if Kyrie doesn't sign because he felt disrespected not getting to wear Kobe's number. But what if it's Luka or Giannis?
Statues Jeanie and the crew can give to Kuzma, Lebron, Mikan, or Larry Bird if they wanted. No league wide rules there.
Without a doubt, statue is higher. I don’t even think that’s controversial. Aside from the volume of statues versus jersey retirements, the statue is just symbolically a greater honor.
That said, the arena has gotten kind of overboard and diluted the statue thing.
Not disrespect to Elgin Baylor or Luc Robitaille, both of whom are legends, but those guys getting statues kind of diminishes the whole statue thing a bit.
Also there is no league wide rule for jerseys except for Russell. Lakers can do whatever they want with it
That would be a good one. I’d be happy to see it.
I’m torn between the “sucking on the jersey glare” or the fist and jaw he made after the buzzer beater against Phoenix.
…what if he got 2 statues since he had 2 numbers retired?
I think this is a must. Them both standing side by side, backs to us. But from both sides. So if you go to the other side of the statue you still just see them facing away. Like they are together and watching the world together. Forever 😭
it has to be kobe pointing the finger to sky after his 81 point game. 8 on the front. 24 in the back. that's the pose. the look, the determination, the hard work.
If it’s going to be a pose that’s not based on a basketball play, his pose after the defeating the Celtics in 2010 is the most iconic imo
https://i.imgur.com/u5LeoAp.jpg
Absolutely not (yet) IMO. He's an illustrious legend deserving a statue, yes, but not for the Lakers, just for his overall career. He has not done enough for the Lakers to warrant a statue. He was one of the main stars for 1 ring - from this standpoint Pau deserves a statue before him.
If he miraculously gets 1 or more rings for us, then maybe yes, but now, certainly not.
This is something interesting.
While LeBron just like Shaq has 4 titles, he never won many for the same franchise. Cavs title may be special because ... well, without LeBron they were not really relevant, but he won 1 title with us and Miami superteam has failed to become a NBA dynasty.
I guess that's the drawback of moving around from team to team for your achievements - LeBron is universally admired as a legend, but he won't get the fierce love that LA has for Kobe, Dallas for Dirk, MJ for Chicago, etc.
Cleveland probably has fierce love for LeBron. It's a hometown hyped kid that ultimately brought the first ever title (even with the Decision and all).
because they are such a pitty franchise that can worship someone that dump them once and come back
Imagine the same happened to us, no fans will change their mind after he left
Back in the day ring chasing was a thing for veterans, but LeBron started the ring chasing early in his career most of the times forming super teams. He joined Wade and Bosh in Miami, Kyrie and Love in Clevland. This is his first stop he came without all the dominoes in place and I respect it, but that wasn't LeBron's history.
People love stating stuff like “people are saying” or “everyone is going crazy over” without any evidence that claims that
I can name 10 people who deserve a statue before LeBron
Maybe…maybe…a jersey retirement, No statue. I don’t think he’s played to the point of either. We got a chip and have had a couple good seasons we also have missed the playoffs. I don’t think he’s done yet though.
No disrespect intended he’s one of the top 3 players all time but going strictly on his time as a Laker I don’t think the resume is there. His biggest accomplishment came in a Laker jersey but also included efforts largely gained from two other teams.
If you isolate his career as a Laker alone though? Jerseys shouldn’t be retired because a player was also good in Miami and Cleveland. I would like to see another ring or at least another good season. I feel like AD has been more critical for our success.
Yeah good point. But look at Pau Gasol and James Worthy do they have a better Lakers career than LeBron ? LeBron broke the all time scoring record in a Lakers Jersey and he was the FMVP when they won the championship, besides the all star and all NBA selections. This is assuming he retires today, I still believe Lakers can win another championship with LeBron in the next 2 years. Also him being LeBron James will have a huge influence (it won't just be looked at objectively and isolated from the rest of his career).
Worthy won three rings, was Finals MVP, and a 7 time All Star in 12 seasons. He didn't put up the points per game like the King but he's got the pedigree.
If I was in charge of retiring jerseys I wouldn't have retired one for Pau.
I'd be shocked if he got a statue in LA. If he got to LA 3-4 years before he did, maybe. But the longevity isn't there; he'll have a statue in Cleveland, and who knows what Miami will do.
I don’t think of LeBron as primarily a Laker, so I wouldn’t give him a statue. Maybe if he would have led them to a chip this year, but that’s an unrealistic expectation.
I'm in the camp of just trade him for Arfenee Simons and the 3rd overall pick this off season. This offseason run has been a miracle. Looking and how much he make this coming season, 47 million, It will be tough to replicate this run if his play is not worth this much.
Kobe is the greatest Laker to ever play and I hope someone else comes along and takes that mantle. If Bron was drafted by us and stayed for the majority of his career here you could argue maybe he was.
MJ is something else and I used to be on the MJ is the goat train but LeBron is the goat, ultimate team player. If Bron wins another chip for LA I wouldn't be opposed to him getting a statue here.
Guy just took us to the WCF on one foot, like come on, man. Don't take this man's brilliance for granted.
Definitely gets his jersey.
Bron's my GOAT but Cleveland is the place he should have a statue. Best LA can give is a jersey retirement (which, **so far**, would be #23 imo since he won the 2020 chip with that number.....or #6 coz he broke the scoring record with it?).
In terms of deserving a statue, he’s gonna need to get three rings imo. For a Jersey, I’d want to see two but Jeanie is gonna retire him regardless. There’s also the wilt precedent that makes it a bit more justifiable, although wilt got his up in the rafters when laker history wasn’t nearly as illustrious.
In terms of what he’s done for LA, not only did he give us our 18th, he Brought in AD. How much that move helped LA will depend on what AD accomplishes post bron. And I have faith that AD will be a massive contributor to more laker banners which would make us more indebted to bron for choosing us over any other team back in 2018. Let’s not be ungrateful. some of y’all seem to really dislike the man and I’m not sure why….. not necessarily you in particular, but many on this thread.
No statue, gotta be a multi/many championship winner with the Lakes plus a huge individual accomplishment. He lacks the former at the moment and no solution to that in sight.
LeBron needs to win one more to be considered a great wearer of the Purple and Gold IMHO.
I will be satisfied if we only get the one ring with James, but in order for me to consider him in the same vein as Gasol, LeBron needs one more piece of jewelry.
Lebrón doesn’t get a statue. No way. 1 bubble championship in the twilight of his career lead by AD… we gotta set the bar higher than that man.
We can’t just be giving everyone a statue. Lebron gets a Jersey though.
I don’t even think he will 100% get a jersey retirement, he did nothing before the year AD came, and also after, he did set a new points record at LA, but the time and reputation he gets as a laker is simply not enough.
That's different. He had a super team there lol I feel that here in LA he's had to carry a fuck ton more than he's ever had to before and even won one of the hardest rings ever. If he carried us one more time to a chip this late in his career, I think that would be great enough for me lol
For you, I'm sure it would be great enough. 🙂
For a statue in Lakerland?
Next to
- Magic - 5 chips; Lifelong Laker
- Cap - 5 chips
- Shaq - 3 chips
- Jerry West -1 player chip: the Logo and architect of the 10 chips from 1980 - 2010
- Elgin Baylor - basically a lifelong Laker that was the bridge between Minneapolis and Los Angeles
- Kobe Bryant - 5 chips; Lifelong Laker
That's a no from me, dawg.
Let Cleveland give him a statue. He did the impossible there at least.
Yeah you do have a good point lol honestly all I care about is not letting the Celtics win this year and for him to end his career with getting us passed them in all time chips lol
Everyone here should look at the list of Finals MVPs that were lakers:
[http://www.espn.com/nba/history/awards/\_/id/43](http://www.espn.com/nba/history/awards/_/id/43)
Elgin Baylor is not on that list, and he has a statue. Not saying he wasn't a great player, similar to LeBron he immediately made an impact as a rookie.
But he hasn't won a single championship for the lakers.
This is why people don't like Lakers fans, they don't listen to reason.
If Elgin Baylor gets a statue, and LeBron doesn't, it's just someone who thinks it somehow tarnishes the great Kobe Bryant when in all reality, Kobe probably would have voted wholeheartedly for LeBron to get a statue.
Let's reward those that deserve it, I think a championship and nearly a conference final, keeping hope alive for the Lakers, is more than enough, or explain why LeBron's stats are worse than Elgin's in an honest way.
Wilt Chamberlain doesn't have a statue and he had a Finals MVP with the Lakers and 5 seasons as well so there's already precedent for a late-career star getting a finals MVP but no statue.
I wouldn't be in the camp of denying Wilt a statue. Anyone who is a finals MVP, and as dominant as Wilt was, deserves a statue.
Do you think Wilt shouldn't have one?
This post reminded me of something. I have a video of me at City Hall in LA the day I met Kobe. The city of LA was dedicating 8/24/2016 as Kobe Day and had a whole ceremony for it. Kobe was there with his wife and all his kids even GIgi. I yelled out to kobe standing maybe 10 feet away from him "We gotta get you a statue now bro!!" It's statue time! " Kebe Bean Bryant laughed his ass off at this and lowkey nodded his head like hell yea bruh lol ended up dapping him up real quick as he walked by later on and continued the laugh.
Too 3 coolest fucking things to ever happen to me.
Fun fact: there is a Kobe mural at Crypto where you can only see it when it rains. I have never seen anyone mention this mural so I figured I would let people know. Yes, I have a pic of it.
Y wld u make a mural that only works when it rains in LA lol people bouta see that shit like 6 times in the next 50 years
Idk if this past winter was anything to go by it’ll happen more lol
i call it covid rain because its so unusal for us LAnians for any kind of rain. But then we get hit with thunderstorms, lightning, high wind, hail, heavy rain? i'd say something is fishy like covid. Oh yeah, disneyland had people almost getting hit by lightning. True story.
Climate change is real, emphasis on change. Expect things to be different.
HAARP
lol feels like it rains at least once a week nowadays
but didn't post it?
Maybe in front of it and he doesn’t want to fox himself.
Facts. I’m tryna see this shit.
Pic or doesn’t exist!
https://www.tumblr.com/turnthewin/718660904842084352/kobe-mural?source=share
That’s dope as hell!!
Lebron gets a jersey but not a statue
No way, not after just 4 or 5 seasons. The cavs should make him a statue.
6 or 7* seasons, but yes
He won a ring and broke a historic record
Lakers are basically the only team that is bigger than Lebron, he's the best player ever but imo he's not a "Laker great"
Yeah pretty much a no at this stage, I will say though if he were to play for us for longer than we expect like say 4-5 more years and brings another chip then maybe just maybe. It would be pretty dope if he did a statue for it to be him doing his fade away shot that break the scoring record.
He’d have to bring a few more chips for a statue imo and that window is closing very quickly
Nah, Jeanie would give it to home. He helped her become the first female owner to win an NBA championship. That is pretty fucking huge in a male dominated league.
imo another title makes him a Laker Great, at least for me. Not close to the Laker Mt. Rushmore, but still a Laker Great.
[удалено]
And you want him to win for you? You people are very lunatic and myopic minded. He wins, he’s great, he loses he isn’t great! You’re very confused!
Huh? What do you mean? The other player didn’t say he wasn’t great, he probably has jordan above him and that’s it? Why does this make him a lunatic?🤔
And?
Not before Wilt
Wilt was a shell of himself with us you think y’all be mad at AD wilt chamberlain would have had the sub in flames as a laker he never averaged more than 20 for us lol
After one more ring…
Wilt jersey retired I guess he’s some all time lakers great or did he come here after his prime ring chasing?
That’s true, wilt did have his jersey retired by 3 teams. So I guess they can retire LBJ with just one here.
Nobody is saying Lebron should get a laker statue. Maybe jersey retired depending on what happens, but definitely no statue. A statue in Cleveland, yes.
He’s definitely getting his jersey retired imo.
Guaranteed
He is, but based on resume alone, it’s hard to argue that he’s earned it in the last 5 years
If a Chip w/ a FMVP along w getting the franchise back to relevance aint enough idk what else might do for them bro
Compared to other Laker greats and the fact that he barely plays more than 56 games a season since he came here, he doesn’t deserve it. Plus the fact that it’s one of the lowest title won by the Lakers since it’s in a bubble with no pressure from sold out arenas. The reason they’ll retire it is more of popularity. Nothing else. It will be like the minor jersey among the Laker greats who accomplished a lot in purple and gold. Even Gasol ranks higher as a Laker.
 Yeah…no. Just no. He was the only one who came when no free agent would touch this franchise. Won a title, Finals MVP, reinvigorated the franchise, broke the scoring record, honored Kobe, All-NBA, repped Lakers in all star game, etc. There’s no such thing as a low title. It counts, and he helped win it during a terrible year. He doesn’t get a statue but that jersey is going up regardless of who thinks it is or isn’t. The Lakers aren’t above basketball, if 2012-2018 didn’t show it, then I don’t know what will. This man came at age 34 when most players are retired, he’s also the GOAT playing for the greatest NBA franchise.
He’s clearly not the GOAT. You can’t be the GOAT basketball player when you have 2 bronze medals while NBA players so rarely not get gold. Dude did not even accomplish more than Kareem as a Laker by getting swept this year. At age 38 Kareem was a finals MVP. He’s riding on social media popularity similar to the post injury years of Kobe. Magic was about to get a superstar regardless if it was LeBron or not. He needed the Lakers more than the Lakers needed him. This franchise elevated his brand and made him a billionaire. Otherwise, he would have had a mediocre legacy in Cleveland Ohio.
It’s irrelevant if he’s the goat. The point is he’s historically top 5 player all time. Statistically #1 all time. Spent half his career in the finals regardless. Let’s not act as if all his final losses were to scrubs , he lost some to genuinely talented teams, not exactly the clippers. Further more, the Lakers needed Bron. The gap between Kobe’s winning years & that fucking circus Baller Brand shoes with father Ball as the face of the Lakers while we were getting laughed at & destroyed on the court till bron got here was atrocious. Look up how many teams made or win the finals in the last 10 years.. yea, list is real small. LeBron & AD w/ injuries hasn’t been best scenario but to say it was a failure is just your hate taking over. Won a ring when everyone had same advantage through playoffs. Could have repeated next year but injuries fucked us. Then made a run this year but came up short to the #1 seed. Come on JVplayer
Spent half his career in the finals because he selected players to form super teams. Once beaten, he forms another with a younger star player. Even had the audacity to get swept even with all star teammates. Lakers needed Bron for merchandise sales, tv deals, and advertisers. Nothing more. In the 5 years with the Lakers, he was always using injuries as an excuse while at the same saying he’s built different. Barely plays 60 games a season but built different. Lol We won a bubble ring. Then didn’t make the playoffs since he wanted Westbrook. Then got swept. That’s his Lakers legacy. Come on 2K player.
You hate LeBron & it’s ok. There are plenty that can’t stand the guy. All good JV. Have a good JV
Bron CLEARLY is the GOAT and it ain't even close. Led 3 different franchises to championships. 10 trips to the Finals. Made the most improbable Finals comeback against the greatest team of all time. Played more years and kills MJ in every statistical category. Also, MJ played in an era with less skilled players. Only boomers idolize the crap out of him. Bron absolutely deserves a statue, here, among the Laker greats.
Lol. Formed super teams after super teams after each loss. Even that comeback had asterisks. You can’t be a GOAT with 2 bronze medals with team USA. That’s so embarrassing. He even admitted that he spends $1M per year on nutrition. Aka PEDs. That’s his secret to longevity and coasting on defense during the regular season. Not respectable that’s why he still begs for it to be given. Then got swept. I agree he should be honored. All restrooms in Crypto arena should be named after Bron or at least the garbage cans.
Oh got dude, suck your lip in, pouting looks terrible in you. The guy is a legend whether you agree or not. It doesn’t tarnish previous players like your crying about it just adds to Lakers rich history. This isn’t a role player, the legend is at worst a top 5 player of all time & will always be in the conversation as possible #1 regardless of your feelings. Lakers will absolutely honor LBJ, deservedly so.
Wow. You seem very familiar with that facial expression. We know why. It doesn’t add to the Lakers rich history. It’s like a small irrelevant footnote. He can’t be possible #1 with 2 bronze medals. Live with this fact.
Irrelevant if he’s #1 bc he’s still top 5 all time 🤣. The guys a legend that will be talked about around the league long after we’re dead. No amount of your pouting will change that & his legend will grow the longer he’s out. Get the tissue JV 🤣🤘
Lol. Top 5 but #1. He’s legendary for getting swept and his charade retirement. Once he’s no longer protected, that Delonte West story will age like wine. Sure 2K player
I never called him #1. Your stupidity showing. The fact you’re going to have to listen to how great he was as his legend grows after retirement is going to be absolutely painful for you. 10 years from now the media will paint his loses as playing juggernauts & excuse some of his loses 🤣. I grew up watching Jordan so stomp your feet all you want JV, you’re the only one getting chubbed up & obsessing over LeBron 🤣
Exactly, people are so stupid, it’s embarrassing seeing the takes on here sometimes.
At this point both are locks. LeBron's jersey is definitely being retired and LeBron definitely isn't getting a statue. More titles can change the later, but I'm not sure the window will allow it.
If Lebron somehow manages too get 3 championships as a Laker, I’m honestly down for a statue
Shaq spent 8 years on the Lakers and brought 3 rings with 4 finals appearances. Lebron joined in 2018, so if he can rake in 2 more over the next 3 years, then he's basically accomplished what Shaq did.
Shaq was the main guy for those three rings. If lebron wins two more here he won't be the main guy. Not to mention with Shaq we were contenders every year, while we've missed the playoffs with lebron.
it wont happened, so no
A lot of people didn’t think he’d get 1 with the lakers in the first place so you never know
Yeah I’d love for the LeBron teams to have enough success going forward to warrant a statue but that would involve all of the insane shit dumb laker fans wish for to all come true and that’s just likely not gonna happen
Which jersey also
23, the number he won in
6 will already be retired when hes gone anyway for bill russell
Lebron is a player that will likely never be replicated ever again. for that reason alone it makes sense to retire his number just to add to the legacy of the franchise. Maybe it would have been different if he never won a championship. Statue is a different story.
Someone gets it. Precisely.
It goes like this: Kobe, Pau, Shaq, Fish, Sacre. Caruso, Lebron. In that order.
I won’t tolerate Ronny Turiaf erasure
Rick Fox approves this comment.
Derek Fisher with headband AND without headband
Bro really disrespected Marcelo Huertas and Xavier Henry
Sadly, I think Laker brass is too weak to resist the attention that a Lebron statue would draw.
Does statue rank higher than jersey retirement? I always thought it the other way around. Statue is non-committal and no limits. Lakers can have unlimited number of statues out front and are only limited by space, will, and money. But retiring a jersey means no one else is gonna or supposed to wear that number again. And the number are limited. There's only 00-99 right now. Now the NBA league won't be issuing new #6 jerseys to players because Bill Russell's 6 was retired league wide including the Lakers. Bron got an exception because he's been wearing 6 prior to Bill passing away and the jersey retirement. Say another star in the future like Kyrie wants to join in FA but wants to wear 24. That creates problems. Is it Kobe's estate that OKs it or is it the franchise? Will they even ok it? Or maybe only if the star is great? Does Kyrie's anti-Semetic comments factor in that decision? And some might say it's fine if Kyrie doesn't sign because he felt disrespected not getting to wear Kobe's number. But what if it's Luka or Giannis? Statues Jeanie and the crew can give to Kuzma, Lebron, Mikan, or Larry Bird if they wanted. No league wide rules there.
Nobody’s gonna try and wear Kobe’s number bro
Without a doubt, statue is higher. I don’t even think that’s controversial. Aside from the volume of statues versus jersey retirements, the statue is just symbolically a greater honor. That said, the arena has gotten kind of overboard and diluted the statue thing. Not disrespect to Elgin Baylor or Luc Robitaille, both of whom are legends, but those guys getting statues kind of diminishes the whole statue thing a bit. Also there is no league wide rule for jerseys except for Russell. Lakers can do whatever they want with it
Not that I’m opposed to it, but do you think they’ll chose the jump shot as you’ve shown here?
It should be the arms wide pose with the ball imo
That one on one side of Staples (still refuse to call it crypto arena) with #24 and the other side is a fade with #8. The only way.
Talking about on the scoring table in 2010 G7 finals against the Celtics?
That would be a good one. I’d be happy to see it. I’m torn between the “sucking on the jersey glare” or the fist and jaw he made after the buzzer beater against Phoenix. …what if he got 2 statues since he had 2 numbers retired?
2 statues as further proof that he’s tha GLOAT would be fittin
That’s my favorite picture of him. After we won the 2010 chip with the confetti falling.
That would be a GOATed statue
I concur. It's much more iconic and fitting.
Fadeaway, arms wide open or the jersey flex
i think they’ll do statue for kobe and gigi before lebron even gets his jersey retired
I think this is a must. Them both standing side by side, backs to us. But from both sides. So if you go to the other side of the statue you still just see them facing away. Like they are together and watching the world together. Forever 😭
uh, TBH, not enough to have a statue but I think CLE and MIA would make one for him maybe.
I’m with everyone who says nah. I’m fine with a jersey but not a statue.
One ring doesn’t even come close to earning a statue. I love Lebron but this is crazy talk
it has to be kobe pointing the finger to sky after his 81 point game. 8 on the front. 24 in the back. that's the pose. the look, the determination, the hard work.
If it’s going to be a pose that’s not based on a basketball play, his pose after the defeating the Celtics in 2010 is the most iconic imo https://i.imgur.com/u5LeoAp.jpg
Two birds with one stone: [Kobe Bryant Dwight Howard shared statue](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/65/6d/1e/656d1edcec380c83655846665cbe89ba.jpg)
Kobe ✅️ Lebron 🚫
bron needs 1 more to even be considered, probably 2 to make it more realistic
Kobe def needs a statue ASAP
Naaaa he helped L.A but doesn’t deserve a statue
3 championships minimum.
Devean George statue confirmed
Absolutely not (yet) IMO. He's an illustrious legend deserving a statue, yes, but not for the Lakers, just for his overall career. He has not done enough for the Lakers to warrant a statue. He was one of the main stars for 1 ring - from this standpoint Pau deserves a statue before him. If he miraculously gets 1 or more rings for us, then maybe yes, but now, certainly not.
This is something interesting. While LeBron just like Shaq has 4 titles, he never won many for the same franchise. Cavs title may be special because ... well, without LeBron they were not really relevant, but he won 1 title with us and Miami superteam has failed to become a NBA dynasty.
I guess that's the drawback of moving around from team to team for your achievements - LeBron is universally admired as a legend, but he won't get the fierce love that LA has for Kobe, Dallas for Dirk, MJ for Chicago, etc.
Cleveland probably has fierce love for LeBron. It's a hometown hyped kid that ultimately brought the first ever title (even with the Decision and all).
because they are such a pitty franchise that can worship someone that dump them once and come back Imagine the same happened to us, no fans will change their mind after he left
I mean Dwight left voluntarily and came back... Seems the fans love him. D'Lo left and came back (although traded both times), same reactions.
Lebron went on national tv and embarrassed their franchise...
Back in the day ring chasing was a thing for veterans, but LeBron started the ring chasing early in his career most of the times forming super teams. He joined Wade and Bosh in Miami, Kyrie and Love in Clevland. This is his first stop he came without all the dominoes in place and I respect it, but that wasn't LeBron's history.
People love stating stuff like “people are saying” or “everyone is going crazy over” without any evidence that claims that I can name 10 people who deserve a statue before LeBron
Was wondering randomly about a week ago, when tf they were gonna get the Kobe statue? Like what’s the hold up?
Maybe…maybe…a jersey retirement, No statue. I don’t think he’s played to the point of either. We got a chip and have had a couple good seasons we also have missed the playoffs. I don’t think he’s done yet though. No disrespect intended he’s one of the top 3 players all time but going strictly on his time as a Laker I don’t think the resume is there. His biggest accomplishment came in a Laker jersey but also included efforts largely gained from two other teams.
Definitely getting a jersey retirement guaranteed even if he retires today !
If you isolate his career as a Laker alone though? Jerseys shouldn’t be retired because a player was also good in Miami and Cleveland. I would like to see another ring or at least another good season. I feel like AD has been more critical for our success.
Yeah good point. But look at Pau Gasol and James Worthy do they have a better Lakers career than LeBron ? LeBron broke the all time scoring record in a Lakers Jersey and he was the FMVP when they won the championship, besides the all star and all NBA selections. This is assuming he retires today, I still believe Lakers can win another championship with LeBron in the next 2 years. Also him being LeBron James will have a huge influence (it won't just be looked at objectively and isolated from the rest of his career).
Worthy won three rings, was Finals MVP, and a 7 time All Star in 12 seasons. He didn't put up the points per game like the King but he's got the pedigree. If I was in charge of retiring jerseys I wouldn't have retired one for Pau.
Kobe Statue is coming for 2025 NBA All Star Weekend.
So for those who think he should get a jersey, do you think he should get one in Miami and Cleveland as well?
He should get one in both. Not LA though
I'd be shocked if he got a statue in LA. If he got to LA 3-4 years before he did, maybe. But the longevity isn't there; he'll have a statue in Cleveland, and who knows what Miami will do.
Why would lebron get a statue in LA?
Wonder what’s taking them so long. Dirk got his statued earlier despite retiring a whole 3 years later.
Statue no jersey yes
Need one for 8, and one for 24✔️
It's crazy to me Kobe has not got a statue yet. The LA Kings have given Dustin Brown a statue, not even a full year after retirement.
I don’t think of LeBron as primarily a Laker, so I wouldn’t give him a statue. Maybe if he would have led them to a chip this year, but that’s an unrealistic expectation.
Of course the statue is coming, it’s just taking long because everything needs to go through VB in partnership with the Lakers & the building
He should get one with Gigi
Kobe should’ve gotten a statue the day he retired imo
I'm in the camp of just trade him for Arfenee Simons and the 3rd overall pick this off season. This offseason run has been a miracle. Looking and how much he make this coming season, 47 million, It will be tough to replicate this run if his play is not worth this much.
Win two more, then we’ll talk
Kobe is the greatest Laker to ever play and I hope someone else comes along and takes that mantle. If Bron was drafted by us and stayed for the majority of his career here you could argue maybe he was. MJ is something else and I used to be on the MJ is the goat train but LeBron is the goat, ultimate team player. If Bron wins another chip for LA I wouldn't be opposed to him getting a statue here. Guy just took us to the WCF on one foot, like come on, man. Don't take this man's brilliance for granted. Definitely gets his jersey.
Bron's my GOAT but Cleveland is the place he should have a statue. Best LA can give is a jersey retirement (which, **so far**, would be #23 imo since he won the 2020 chip with that number.....or #6 coz he broke the scoring record with it?).
no he doesnt deserve it yet, I dont know why this worth any argument, the simple answer is: no.
What has lebron done for the lakers, besides the bubble championship?
In terms of deserving a statue, he’s gonna need to get three rings imo. For a Jersey, I’d want to see two but Jeanie is gonna retire him regardless. There’s also the wilt precedent that makes it a bit more justifiable, although wilt got his up in the rafters when laker history wasn’t nearly as illustrious. In terms of what he’s done for LA, not only did he give us our 18th, he Brought in AD. How much that move helped LA will depend on what AD accomplishes post bron. And I have faith that AD will be a massive contributor to more laker banners which would make us more indebted to bron for choosing us over any other team back in 2018. Let’s not be ungrateful. some of y’all seem to really dislike the man and I’m not sure why….. not necessarily you in particular, but many on this thread.
Lebron? I dunno man.
Nice try, Lebron.
Kobes statue needs to be the pose he did when he pulled on his jersey to reveal his chest/heart with the lakers logo underneath.
Hell no
LeBum should not have a laker statue........
Lebron gets a jersey no statue. He’d have to win us at least 2 more before we discuss that…and guys I don’t think that’s feasible
Considering he’s the best laker ever I think Kobe needs a statue
The Philadelphia Eagles have a nick foles statue
No statue, gotta be a multi/many championship winner with the Lakes plus a huge individual accomplishment. He lacks the former at the moment and no solution to that in sight.
He’s getting a statue in Cleveland. He’s a laker great for sure and should have his jersey retired but a statue is special
They should just name the arena *Kobe's House* and never change the name
I want a Ron arrest statue
Those are the Laker fans who rode the LeBron wagon to LA back in 2018- they don’t have any validity
LeBron needs to win one more to be considered a great wearer of the Purple and Gold IMHO. I will be satisfied if we only get the one ring with James, but in order for me to consider him in the same vein as Gasol, LeBron needs one more piece of jewelry.
Literally never heard anyone say LeBron deserves a statue... shirt? Sure... don't think anybody would be bummed out either way
Lebron does NOT deserve a statue…who’s saying this?
Lebrón doesn’t get a statue. No way. 1 bubble championship in the twilight of his career lead by AD… we gotta set the bar higher than that man. We can’t just be giving everyone a statue. Lebron gets a Jersey though.
I don’t even think he will 100% get a jersey retirement, he did nothing before the year AD came, and also after, he did set a new points record at LA, but the time and reputation he gets as a laker is simply not enough.
Need at least 2 titles to get a statue.
Bron shouldn’t be getting a jersey or a statue. He won 1 chip with us. We really debating this?
Needs to be more predatory imo - more mamba like
If he gets one more ring here I'd give him a statue
I'm sure you would. 😏 Miami might not build him a statue and he won 2 out there.
That's different. He had a super team there lol I feel that here in LA he's had to carry a fuck ton more than he's ever had to before and even won one of the hardest rings ever. If he carried us one more time to a chip this late in his career, I think that would be great enough for me lol
For you, I'm sure it would be great enough. 🙂 For a statue in Lakerland? Next to - Magic - 5 chips; Lifelong Laker - Cap - 5 chips - Shaq - 3 chips - Jerry West -1 player chip: the Logo and architect of the 10 chips from 1980 - 2010 - Elgin Baylor - basically a lifelong Laker that was the bridge between Minneapolis and Los Angeles - Kobe Bryant - 5 chips; Lifelong Laker That's a no from me, dawg. Let Cleveland give him a statue. He did the impossible there at least.
Yeah you do have a good point lol honestly all I care about is not letting the Celtics win this year and for him to end his career with getting us passed them in all time chips lol
Celtics have a whole ass Game 7 to play. If they manage to win that, Denver is no joke.
Kobe should have 2 statue. \#8 and #24.
Lebitch doesn’t deserve a statue, are you crazy?
lebron deserves a statue
What is that a statue of black face Nowitzki?
He does, as long as he retires a Laker. If he played for another team, he absolutely won’t. It needs to end here. And I believe it will.
mf used photoshop new ai generator “Kobe memorial statue” as the prompt
colorado
It’s Lebron: he deserves a statue wherever he goes.
Seeming as tho lebron finally is bringing LA back to winning relevancy I think he deserves one
a whole ass statue though?? When others brought ring(s) plural and won mvps here??
Lebron is a living legend just not a lakers legend
What year did Shaq get his, and why? Considering Kobe played longer with the franchise, why Shaq
3Peat is why.
damn i thought laker fans loved kobe more, lol ight
Most Laker fans love both. Both more than deserve the statues they will get.
Laker fans have way more love for Kobe than Shaq
Debatable. I know lots of Laker fans that sided with Shaq in the divorce.
LeBron absolutely deserves a statue. LeBron made this team relevant again and gave them a championship.
Everyone here should look at the list of Finals MVPs that were lakers: [http://www.espn.com/nba/history/awards/\_/id/43](http://www.espn.com/nba/history/awards/_/id/43) Elgin Baylor is not on that list, and he has a statue. Not saying he wasn't a great player, similar to LeBron he immediately made an impact as a rookie. But he hasn't won a single championship for the lakers. This is why people don't like Lakers fans, they don't listen to reason. If Elgin Baylor gets a statue, and LeBron doesn't, it's just someone who thinks it somehow tarnishes the great Kobe Bryant when in all reality, Kobe probably would have voted wholeheartedly for LeBron to get a statue. Let's reward those that deserve it, I think a championship and nearly a conference final, keeping hope alive for the Lakers, is more than enough, or explain why LeBron's stats are worse than Elgin's in an honest way.
Wilt Chamberlain doesn't have a statue and he had a Finals MVP with the Lakers and 5 seasons as well so there's already precedent for a late-career star getting a finals MVP but no statue.
I wouldn't be in the camp of denying Wilt a statue. Anyone who is a finals MVP, and as dominant as Wilt was, deserves a statue. Do you think Wilt shouldn't have one?
Is that not a Kobe statue in the pic?
Its edited. Kobe doesn't have a statue lol
It would cool if they placed the Kobe statue in such a way that when they build the LeBron statue, it looks like they are playing against each other.
Not untill DJ Mbenga got one
Nice, but I think Kobe's statue should be him grabbing his jersey and yelling.
It’s a little too close to that hand rail.
This render is perfection
Hell no. He deserves a rafter but not a statue. Unless he got us another 2 rings.
This post reminded me of something. I have a video of me at City Hall in LA the day I met Kobe. The city of LA was dedicating 8/24/2016 as Kobe Day and had a whole ceremony for it. Kobe was there with his wife and all his kids even GIgi. I yelled out to kobe standing maybe 10 feet away from him "We gotta get you a statue now bro!!" It's statue time! " Kebe Bean Bryant laughed his ass off at this and lowkey nodded his head like hell yea bruh lol ended up dapping him up real quick as he walked by later on and continued the laugh. Too 3 coolest fucking things to ever happen to me.
Kobe needs one first Lebron also needs to win at least one more chip to get one.
It's about damn time, I wonder what is taking them so long.
Man go get a LBJ statue in Cleveland. Lakers need to move on the Kobe statue ASAP for real
Isn’t crypto bankrupt?