The timing of the Lakers announcing they’re going to unveil a statue of legendary coach Phil Jackson made a lot of sense.
The franchise was less than seven months removed from immortalizing Pat Riley, one of the last key figures of the Lakers’ “Showtime” era who hadn’t been honored with a statue up until that point (James Worthy is also deserving of a statue).
With Shaquille O’Neal (2017) and Kobe Bryant (2024) already having statues outside of Crypto.com Arena, it made sense for the Lakers to honor Jackson, one of the masterminds from their last dynasty in the 2000s.
And with the Lakers on the cusp of a new era and on the verge of changing majority ownership for the second time in a year, this much is clear: It’s time for the Lakers to honor the late Dr. Jerry Buss with a statue.
Buss’ worthiness of a statue doesn’t need to be argued.
He’s not only the greatest owner in NBA history but he also has a strong argument for the greatest franchise owner in sports history.
After Buss purchased the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million (the deal also included the NHL’s Kings and the Forum in Inglewood), the franchise went on a historic run before Buss died in 2013: 10 NBA titles, 16 Western Conference titles and 32 playoff appearances in 34 years.
In addition to the success off the court, Buss revolutionized the business side of the NBA in myriad ways, changing how sports franchises throughout the world present and operate their teams.
Buss was a cultural and sports icon.
And the person responsible for the Lakers being an iconic franchise who welcomed other iconic individuals — including many who will be or have been honored with a statue from the Lakers.
Now, it should be his turn.
Especially during the period the franchise is in.
After Buss was the Lakers’ majority owner for nearly 34 years, and his children were the majority owners of the franchise for another 12 years, the Lakers are in the process of being sold for the second time since last summer.
Mark Walter, the Dodgers’ controlling owner, bought the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family in June 2025 at a then-record valuation of $10 billion.
Fourteen months later, amid Walter’s business empire facing a federal investigation into potential loan fraud and business wrongdoings, he sold the majority ownership of the Lakers to businessman Josh Kushner and ex-Disney executive Bob Iger at the historic valuation of $12.5 billion.
And in the aftermath of the latest sale, five of Buss’ children (Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss) attempted to sell the family’s remaining stake of the Lakers (17.8%), but Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to block her siblings’ attempted sale of their minority ownership stake of the franchise.
With a court hearing not set until Dec. 8, the Buss family’s future with the franchise is uncertain.
And with there not being a track record of a sports franchise being led by Kushner and Iger, the franchise’s overall future is unknown.
But a great way for Kushner and Iger to ingratiate themselves with Lakers fans would be to honor the icon responsible for the empire they’re taking control of.
It would be an immortalization that’s long overdue.
