Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers honored Pat Riley, who was their head coach for most of their Showtime-era dynasty in the 1980s, with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena.
Naturally, some fans likely wondered when Phil Jackson, another one of the NBA's true coaching greats who was with the Lakers for almost an entire decade, would get his own statue. The answer is very soon.
Jackson will be honored with a statue in Star Plaza during the late stages of this coming season. It will be unveiled to the public on April 9, 2027, when the Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Just in: The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a Phil Jackson statue on April 9 before their game with Minnesota. Jackson coached the Lakers to five NBA titles and seven Finals
appearances. He'll be the 9th member of the organization with a statue in Star Plaza outside their home… pic.twitter.com/Kc9rAarmGX
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) September 8, 2026
Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998 and guided Michael Jordan and company to six NBA championships during that time. He then came to the Lakers in 1999 to take over a young and promising team that had been chronically underachieving in the playoffs.
Los Angeles had just been swept out of the postseason for the second straight year at the time. Jackson immediately changed the culture of the team, and it responded by winning three straight world titles right away behind the talent of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
O'Neal asked for and was granted a trade in 2004 amidst a much-publicized feud with Bryant. That same summer, Jackson "retired," only to return to the Lakers a year later. Once the team was able to build a new supporting cast around Bryant, which included Hall of Fame big man Pau Gasol, it resumed its dynasty by winning it all in 2009 and 2010.
In all, Jackson and Bryant won five rings and reached the NBA Finals seven times in 11 years. Jackson retired as a coach once and for all in 2011.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers will honor Phil Jackson with a statue this coming season
