Luka Doncic is the latest superstar to end up on the Los Angeles Lakers, and he sure would love to leave his mark on the franchise like those who came before him. During an interview with CTG Sports, Doncic was told he would get a statue from the Lakers, and the Slovenian hopes he will.
Interviewer: “You’ll get a statue out front, man.”
Doncic: “Hopefully.”
Doncic should certainly aspire to have the kind of impact needed to get a statue in Star Plaza outside the Crypto.com Arena. The 26-year-old has the capabilities for it as well, as he has won a scoring title and made the All-NBA First Team five times.
Doncic also has outstanding career averages of 28.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game and is a generational talent. The five-time All-Star was well on his way to getting a statue from the Dallas Mavericks and would have been quite deserving of it, as well.
When it comes to the Lakers, though, getting a statue is a lot harder than you might think. Despite so many greats having played for them over the years, the franchise has only given that honor to six players: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal.
Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Bryant, and O’Neal all won at least three titles with the Lakers, while Baylor and West were the franchise’s first real superstars following the move to Los Angeles from Minneapolis in 1958. So, if we put Baylor and West aside, a player needs to win multiple titles with the Lakers to get a statue.
Now, you might think that’s an absurd requirement, but the fact is there is no guarantee at this point that LeBron James will get a statue from the Lakers. James led the team to a title in 2020 and has been a fixture on the All-NBA teams since he arrived in Los Angeles. He still hasn’t done enough in the eyes of many, though.
Lakers legend Byron Scott stated on the All The Smoke podcast that James had to play for the team for 10 years and win another title to be deserving of a statue. Scott made it clear that the standards are different when it comes to the Lakers, and they are.
Those high standards have led to Wilt Chamberlain not getting a statue, while the likes of Pau Gasol and Anthony Davis are unlikely to get one, either. All three played a key role in one or two title runs, and that would have been enough to get a statue at most places but not from the Lakers.
So, Doncic will almost certainly have to lead the Lakers to multiple titles while sticking around for about a decade to get his statue. Is that realistic? Well, considering how great he is, you wouldn’t bet against him, but it is certainly not a given by any means.
While it’s unclear if Doncic or James will get a statue from the Lakers, Pat Riley will be getting one in 2026. Riley coached the Lakers to four titles in the 1980s and joins broadcaster Chick Hearn as the only one to get the honor for contributions outside the court.
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