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LeBron James is about to begin his eighth season with the Los Angeles Lakers and his 23rd overall in the NBA. He will set a new league record by taking part in his 23rd season, but it is anyone’s guess whether this will be his last go-around with Los Angeles.
While his tenure with the Lakers cannot be called a failure, many would call it a relative disappointment, given that he has had a legitimate superstar next to him for six of his seven seasons with the team. L.A. has won one NBA championship with him, but it has been to the Western Conference finals only one other time, and it has missed the playoffs twice since he arrived.
Whether James will deserve a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena alongside the Lakers’ greatest legends is a hot debate. Former Lakers star Byron Scott told TMZ Sports that the four-time MVP doesn’t deserve one, but that if James leads the franchise to another NBA title, that could change (h/t Lakers Daily).
“No,” Scott said. “No, no statue. One championship in six, seven years — I don’t know how many years he’s been in L.A. right now, but I think if he gets another one then he has a chance. But right now, if you look at the players that have statues in front of the Crypto.com, these are long lifers.
“They’ve been with the Lakers for almost their entire career, and they’ve had multiple championships. I think the only one that didn’t is probably Jerry West. But other than that — Jerry West spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and he’s the logo for a reason. So, right now at this particular point — and I’m a big LeBron James fan for what he’s been able to do on and off the court — but statue? No.”
There should be a very high standard as far as getting a statue in front of the Lakers’ home arena. While West won only one world title with the Lakers, he did a lot to put the franchise on the map in the 1960s when it was new to the greater Los Angeles area.
Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal all have statues of their own, and they each won at least three championships with the Purple and Gold.
L.A. has a very good roster that may be able to contend this season if several things go right. It has significantly upgraded at the center position by signing Deandre Ayton, and Luka Doncic, its new franchise cornerstone, has gotten into fantastic shape and is coming off some outstanding play at EuroBasket 2025.
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