The Lakers are set to honor another iconic coach with a statue late in the 2026-27 season.
On Tuesday, the team announced that they will reveal a statue of Phil Jackson, who led the Lakers to five NBA championships during his 11 seasons with the franchise. The unveiling is scheduled for April 9, 2027, just outside Crypto.com Arena.
On that same night, the Lakers will face the Timberwolves in a game that will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss expressed her enthusiasm in a statement, saying, “Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason. His masterful approach to coaching brought out the best in some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game. After accepting 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.”
After his successful stint with the Bulls, where he won six titles from 1991 to 1998, Jackson joined the Lakers before the 1999-2000 season. He led the team through a golden era, securing five NBA championships and appearing in seven NBA Finals. Notably, the Lakers achieved three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002 and back-to-back wins in 2009 and 2010 during his tenure as head coach from 1999 to 2004 and again from 2005 to 2011.
Jackson holds several records for the Lakers, including most regular-season games coached (902), most playoff games coached (181), and most regular-season victories (610), alongside the most playoff wins (118).
Under Jackson’s leadership, the Lakers made the playoffs every year, with nine seasons featuring over 50 wins and two seasons surpassing 60 wins.
In 2007, Jackson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and was recognized as one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history during the league’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 2022.
This statue will make him the ninth person to receive this honor from the franchise, joining an illustrious group that includes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Pat Riley, and Jerry West.
