LeBron James’ tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers has always been a source of controversy in the NBA. While some think he’s been successful because he won a championship, others think the success-failure ratio is against him.
Many have wondered if the King will get a statue by the Lakers when his career is over, and fans have debated this on social media. For Shaquille O’Neal, who has one, LeBron deserves to get his too.
“He did win a title with the Lakers and lot of people say that it doesn’t count,” O’Neal told Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson of Bally Sports. “LeBron has broken the record [scoring record] and he broke the record as a Laker.”
Despite highlighting all the good things James has done for the Lakers, many fans still don’t think he’s done enough for the franchise to get a statue.
“But the thing about the Lakers is that Laker fans are real greedy. Okay, you got us this bubble championship, but when are you going to give us another? It’s always that.”
Truth be told, LeBron hasn’t been as impactful as other Lakers legends. The four-time NBA champion did win the championship in 2020, but other than that, he was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, missed the postseason a couple of times, and until this year, he wasn’t able to make it past the initial matchup.
A championship is always good, especially when it ties you with the Boston Celtics on the all-time list, but that doesn’t grant LeBron a statue.
A LeBron James Statue Is A Controversial Topic For Lakers
Many people have discussed this topic over the years. Matt Barnes believes the Lakers should get LeBron his statue, but first, they need to give Kobe his. Stephen A. Smith thinks the opposite, saying that he didn’t have the same impact as other legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the aforementioned Kobe Bryant.
This decision is not ours to make, and the Lakers will have the last say on this. If LeBron manages to win another title, it could be more likely for him, but right now, not so many think he should get the statue.