Phil Jackson to join Lakers legends in bronze at Star Plaza
The tradition of fixing a franchise's championship memory in metal has a long address in Los Angeles. Star Plaza, outside Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, already holds eight Lakers figures in bronze, and Phil Jackson…
Key takeaways
- Phil Jackson will become the ninth Lakers figure honored in bronze at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, with his statue to be unveiled before an April game during the 2026-27 season.
- Jackson holds the NBA record with 11 coaching championships, five won with the Lakers and six with the Chicago Bulls.
- His two Lakers coaching stints ran from 1999 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2011, yielding titles powered by Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Pau Gasol.
- Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and will turn 81 next week.
- At the unveiling, Jackson will stand alongside statues of Bryant and O'Neal, who powered his first three Lakers titles.
The tradition of fixing a franchise's championship memory in metal has a long address in Los Angeles. Star Plaza, outside Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, already holds eight Lakers figures in bronze, and Phil Jackson will become the ninth. The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed Tuesday that a statue honoring the coach will be unveiled before an April game during the 2026-27 season.
Jackson's career total of 11 NBA coaching championships is the record in the league's history. Five of those came with the Lakers across two coaching stints. His first tenure ran from 1999 through 2004, his second from 2005 to 2011. The remaining six titles came with the Chicago Bulls, coaching Michael Jordan through two separate three-peat runs. Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2007 class and will turn 81 next week.
Acting governor Jeanie Buss credited Jackson, in her statement, with restoring the franchise's championship legacy after he accepted an invitation from her father to join the organization. She described his approach as bringing out the best in some of the greatest athletes to play the game, calling his creativity and commitment to excellence a standard that carried across generations.
The five Lakers titles split across two rosters. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal powered the three-peat title run during Jackson's first stint as head coach. Bryant remained at the center of the final two championships, with Pau Gasol joining him as the other primary figure.
The current figures at Star Plaza span the franchise's full historical range: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, Jerry West, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Bryant holds two statues at the location, one of which also honors his late daughter, Gianna "Gigi" Bryant.
When the statue is unveiled, Jackson will stand alongside two players from his own championship rosters. Bryant and O'Neal, who powered his first three Lakers titles, are both already there in bronze.
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