There is no doubt that LeBron James will one day have his jersey retired by the Los Angeles Lakers into the rafters of Crypto.com Arena. The superstar is set to begin his eighth year with the franchise, his longest single tenure with any team in his career and led the Lakers to a championship in 2020 while breaking numerous all-time records while wearing the purple and gold.
LeBron has earned his spot amongst the all-time greats who have worn a Lakers uniform, but having your jersey retired and getting a statue at Star Plaza outside of Crypto.com Arena are two different accomplishments. And former Lakers player and coach Byron Scott doesn’t feel James has reached that level quite yet.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Scott said that if LeBron brings the Lakers another championship then he could very well get that statue but as of right now, he doesn’t quite stack up in his Lakers career with those who do:
“I think if he gets another one, then he has a chance,” he said. “But right now, if you look at the players that have statues in front of Crypto.com [Arena], these are long lifers. They’ve been with the Lakers for almost their entire career, and they’ve had multiple championships.”
It’s a very high bar to reach that level with the Lakers and Scott makes a legitimate point about what those players who have a statue meant to this franchise. Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Chick Hearn all have a statue and all were absolutely critical to the history of this franchise.
The only person amongst that group who didn’t spend over a decade with the Lakers was Shaq, but in his eight seasons with the franchise he won three straight championships and was at his absolute peak, one which many consider the most dominant run ever. Baylor and West may not have the championship success, but they literally helped build this franchise when it came to Los Angeles from Minneapolis. And even though he wasn’t a player, Hearn is simply synonymous with the Lakers forever.
For as great as James’ run with this team has been, he will always be more associated with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers and some would argue his absolute peak came as a member of the Miami Heat. If he can win another championship there is a very strong case, but his impact on this franchise just isn’t quite at the same level as those other greats in the eyes of Scott.
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