Lakers Announce Major Phil Jackson Honor as Legendary Coach Set for Statue
By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi/ Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada
September 9, 2026
The Los Angeles Lakers have announced a major honour for legendary former head coach Phil Jackson, confirming that a statue will be erected in his honour outside Crypto.com Arena.
The statue is scheduled to be unveiled on April 9, 2027, before the Lakers’ home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, marking another significant recognition of Jackson’s enormous contribution to one of the NBA’s most successful franchises.
Jackson will become the ninth person associated with the Lakers to receive a statue at Star Plaza, joining a distinguished group that includes Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Pat Riley and legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn.
Jackson’s Championship Legacy
Jackson’s place in Lakers history was established during an extraordinary coaching career that transformed the franchise into a dominant force in the NBA.
He coached the Lakers for 11 seasons across two separate stints, from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011. During that period, he guided Los Angeles to seven NBA Finals appearances and five championships.
His first three championships with the Lakers came consecutively between 2000 and 2002, when the team was powered by the dominant partnership of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
After returning to the Lakers, Jackson helped lead another championship era, guiding Bryant and Pau Gasol to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.
Jackson finished his Lakers coaching career with a franchise-record 610 regular-season victories and 118 playoff wins. His teams reached the playoffs in every season he coached the franchise.
An NBA Coaching Record That Still Stands
Jackson’s accomplishments extend beyond Los Angeles.
Before joining the Lakers, he coached the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships during the 1990s, working with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
His combined total of 11 NBA championships as a head coach remains the most in league history. Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and was later named among the NBA’s 15 greatest coaches as part of the league’s 75th-anniversary celebrations.
The Lakers’ decision to honour him with a statue therefore recognizes not only his success with the franchise but also his wider impact on NBA basketball.
Lakers Praise Jackson’s Impact
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss praised Jackson’s influence on the franchise, describing him as a coach whose approach brought out the best in some of the greatest players in basketball history.
Buss said Jackson’s creativity and commitment to excellence helped restore the Lakers’ championship legacy and established a standard that continued to influence the organization for generations.
The statue will be designed and created by renowned sculptor Omri Amrany, whose work includes several other statues connected to the Lakers and their legends.
Joining the Lakers’ Greatest Legends
Once Jackson’s statue is unveiled, he will stand alongside some of the most influential figures in Lakers history at Star Plaza.
The collection already includes players such as Bryant, O’Neal, Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Baylor and West, as well as former coach Pat Riley and broadcaster Chick Hearn.
Jackson’s addition is particularly symbolic because his coaching career was closely connected to several of those already honoured, most notably Bryant and O’Neal.
His five Lakers championships account for a significant part of the franchise’s 17 NBA titles and helped establish one of the most successful eras in modern basketball.
The April 2027 ceremony is therefore expected to be a major moment for Lakers fans as the organization formally celebrates one of the coaches who played a defining role in its championship history.
