The Los Angeles Lakers are adding another legend to their iconic Star Plaza. The franchise announced Tuesday that Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson will be honored with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, cementing a legacy that produced five championships and redefined what winning basketball looks like in Hollywood. [1]
The unveiling is scheduled for April 9, 2027, before a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. [1]
A Coaching Career Unlike Any Other
Jackson, now 80, holds a record that may never be matched: 11 NBA championships as a head coach. [1] He claimed six of those rings with the Chicago Bulls across eight seasons from 1991 to 1998, then brought his triangle offense — and his singular philosophy — to Los Angeles in 1999. [3]
His Lakers tenure unfolded in two stints (1999–2004 and 2005–11), and the results were historic. Running his offense through Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, Jackson guided the team to three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002. He then returned and engineered back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, this time with Bryant and Pau Gasol as the cornerstones. [1]
By the time he stepped away for good, Jackson had compiled a 610-292 regular-season record (.676 winning percentage) and a 118-63 postseason mark (.652) with the Lakers. The team reached the playoffs every season under his watch and advanced to seven NBA Finals, winning five of them. [3]
Tied for the Franchise Record
Jackson's five titles with the Lakers place him in rare company even within the franchise's storied history. He is tied with John Kundla — who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five championships between 1949 and 1954 — for the most NBA titles won as a Lakers head coach. [3]
That shared record underscores just how dominant Jackson's era was. In a franchise that counts Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant among its alumni, matching the championship output of the dynasty that launched the organization is no small feat.
Jeanie Buss on a Restored Legacy
Lakers acting governor Jeanie Buss framed the honor in deeply personal terms, referencing her late father Jerry Buss's original decision to bring Jackson aboard. "Phil Jackson defines championship basketball for a reason," 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." [1]
The phrase "restored our championship legacy" carries weight. The Lakers had not won a title since the Showtime era when Jackson arrived in 1999, and his impact was immediate and sustained.
The Ninth Statue at Star Plaza
Jackson will become the ninth figure honored with a statue at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, joining a group that includes Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, broadcaster Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant — who has two statues. [1]
He follows Pat Riley, the architect of the 1980s Showtime dynasty who won four titles in Los Angeles and received his own statue in February 2026, just fourteen months before Jackson's scheduled unveiling. [3] The back-to-back recognitions reflect a franchise actively working to memorialize its coaching greats alongside its playing legends.
The statue itself has been commissioned from sculptor Omri Amrany of Rotblatt Amrany Studio, the same firm responsible for several other prominent sports monuments. [1]
A Legacy Validated Beyond L.A.
Jackson's place in basketball history extends well beyond his Lakers record. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history when the league announced its coaching selections as part of its 75th anniversary celebration. [1]
His 11 total championships remain the most by any head coach in NBA history — a number that encompasses six Bulls titles and five Lakers titles across two of the most dominant dynasties the sport has ever seen. [1]
What to Watch
The April 9, 2027, unveiling will draw significant attention as Jackson joins an exclusive group of Lakers immortals in bronze. The ceremony will also mark one of the franchise's highest-profile events of that season. Whether Jackson, who turns 81 in September 2026, will speak at the event has not yet been reported. Fans and observers will also be watching to see who among his former players — Bryant's absence being a painful given — attends to pay tribute to the coach who shaped so much of the franchise's modern identity.
