The Los Angeles Lakers have been following the custom of erecting statues outside of the Crypto.com Arena in celebration and acknowledgment of their greatest players.
The statues of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and one of the greatest play-by-play announcers Chick Hearn are situated subsequently glorifying their accolades during their incredible careers.
The three-time NBA All-Star, Gilbert Arenas has recently shared during one of the episodes of “Nightcap” podcast with former NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe that the four-time NBA champion and twenty-time NBA All-Star, veteran power forward of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James statue would be untimely as he doesn’t have “enough accolades” for this recognition.
Gilbert Arenas says LeBron James doesn’t deserve a statue with the Lakers
“He don’t have enough accolades in the Laker uniform.”
(Via @NightcapShow_ / h/t @ClutchPoints ) pic.twitter.com/OLASCDfUpq
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 4, 2024
no statue for Bron in LA?? @ShannonSharpe @GilsArenaShow pic.twitter.com/flVF55g5k8
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) March 4, 2024
According to Yahoo Sports, he shared, “If his career stop right now, hell nah. He don’t have enough accolades in the Laker uniform.”
He continues, “The closest statue we have with that was with Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal). Shaq, eight years, was it four rings? No, three rings. It’s gon’ be hard to put him in there with six years, 8,000 points, one championship, six All-Stars. That’s not good enough for a statue in Los Angeles. They could just put his shoes. They can start with the shoes.”
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Wilt Chamberlain is another iconic personality of the league whose statue is not yet enshrined in Crypto.com Arena. He played with the Lakers from 1968 to 1973, reached four NBA finals, and also won one championship with the team. He is considered one of the greatest players in the league.
