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Lakers’ Austin Reaves believes LeBron James has earned a statue

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated09 Aug 2023

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Los Angeles Lakers Austin Reaves believes LeBron James has earned a statue

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves says future NBA Hall of Famer LeBron James deserves a statue outside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “He came to L.A. at a time where wasn’t having much success and 2-3 years put a banner in the rafters, so why not?” Reaves told Sports Illustrated in a recent interview.

“In my opinion, he’s the greatest player to ever play the game. You can argue it for sure because there’s been some really good players. But you know, I’ve always said that you can name the best person at scoring, rebounding, bla, bla, bla, and you could argue that LeBron can compete at the top in all those categories. So yeah, why not?”

Referring to a few NBA betting sites, the Los Angeles Lakers hold seventh-shortest odds to win next season’s championship in 2024. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors.


Austin Reaves, 25, is not the only person currently or formerly associated with the organization this offseason to mention a statue for LeBron James. Lakers legend James Worthy echoed Reaves’ comments during a July interview with TMZ Sports at the Teqball USA Pre-ESPY party.

“It depends on what he does here out,” Worthy said. “I think his overall greatness, when you have a player like LeBron, who breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s [all-time scoring] record in Los Angeles, does it as a Laker, then wins a championship as a Laker, you can’t argue that he could get a statue in Los Angeles.”

Worthy also mentioned the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Rocket Mortage FieldHouse and the Miami Heat’s Kaseya Center. “And he could get one in Cleveland as well,” he added. “So, I don’t know about Miami, but bringing one to Cleveland and Los Angeles, it’s doable, in my opinion.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves thinks LeBron James deserves a statue outside Crypto.com Arena; the four-time MVP will have his jersey retired in the future

LeBron James helped the Lakers win their 17th championship in franchise history in the 2020 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Perhaps the 20-year veteran needs one more ring? The four-time MVP could join some elite company in the future if the organization approves a statue.

There are currently six Lakers statues outside the arena — including Magic Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal, and broadcaster Chick Hearn. It should be noted that NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant has not yet received his statue.

Until Black Mamba is honored, it makes little sense for James to get one. Lakers fans don’t want to see Bron upstage Kobe. In his 20-year career, Bryant won five NBA championships, four MVPs, and two Finals MVPs. The 18-time All-Star also received 15 All-NBA selections.


A week ago, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was asked when Kobe would receive a statue. “It’s too premature. It’s not for public consumption yet,” she said. “Rest assured, there will be an announcement when the time is right.”

Even if James is denied a statue outside the Lakers arena, Buss did assure fans that his jersey will be retired in the future. “The standard for having your jersey retired as a Laker is when a player is inducted into the Hall of Fame. I have absolutely no doubt that LeBron will make it into the Basketball Hall of Fame,” she added.

“When he does so, then we will retire his jersey. Knowing that he will make it into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he will have his Lakers jersey retired, no doubt about it.”

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