LeBron James is set to play the eighth season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Believe it or not, this will be LeBron James’ longest tenure in one franchise without quitting his NBA career. Certainly, he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for a total of 11 years, but he did so in two stints.
Speaking of the LBJ’s era with the Los Angeles Lakers, it was full of ups and downs, but the king still helped Purple and Gold win the 2020 NBA Championship.
He also broke Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s highest score ever score for a Lakers member. James is already 40 years old and many are beginning to debate whether he deserves a statue outside the Crypto.com arena.
Given that the Lakers are one of the most decorated franchises in NBA history, the organization has a large number of iconic players wearing jerseys.
This list includes Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal. However, getting a statue outside the crypto.com arena is not a small feat.
In fact, only seven players have been blessed with that honor through the Lakers’ presence in the league.
So is James worthy of a statue? Well, five times the NBA champion Derek Fisher certainly doesn’t seem to think so.
“If LeBron gets a statue, you better get two of them,” Fisher said (h/t hoopmixonly).
Fisher played a key supporter role in five Lakers titles. He has an impressive resume, but that’s not enough to get the statue.
James is a much better individual player, but most of X’s Lakernations agree with Fisher, believing that King hasn’t had a major influence on the franchise.
“He’s not wrong,” one fan wrote. Another was added, but “LeBron is ridiculous that he’s getting a statue.”
“I agree, LeBron is not a true Laker legend,” the third fan added.
“D-Fish still hits those clutch shots,” the fourth fan said.
“LeBron can get a statue in Cleveland, but Derek Fisher is right because he’s not a Lakers legend,” fans pointed out.
At the end of the day, the Top Brass decides whether LBJ will get a statue in LA. However, if the King can bring another title to the city, he may get better support from his fans.