The Los Angeles Lakers will honor Phil Jackson with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena late in the 2026-27 season.
The statue will be unveiled on April 9, 2027, when the Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a nationally televised game on ESPN.
“Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason,” Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement.
“His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After he accepted my dad’s invitation to join the Lakers, Phil’s unmatched creativity and commitment to excellence restored our championship legacy, bringing five titles and setting a standard of excellence for generations to come. It is a great joy to be able to mark that achievement with the statue he so richly deserves.”
Jackson joined the Lakers in 1999 after winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He guided Los Angeles to three consecutive titles from 2000-02 before returning for a second coaching stint in 2005 and winning two more championships in 2009 and 2010.
Across 11 seasons with the Lakers, Jackson reached seven NBA Finals and made the playoffs every year. He remains the franchise leader in regular-season games coached (902), playoff games coached (181), regular-season wins (610) and playoff wins (118).
Jackson entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and was later named one of the NBA’s 15 greatest coaches.
He will become the ninth Lakers figure honored with a statue, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Pat Riley and Jerry West.
