Mychal Thompson, a member of two of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ championship teams from the Showtime era, sounds mystified by a simmering debate, in the wake of LeBron James’ decision to leave the Lakers.
Does LeBron James deserve a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, home of the Lakers?
“A statue? He deserves three statues, buddy,’’ Thompson told USA TODAY Sports. “Miami, Cleveland and L.A. That’s how great he is.
“He’s arguably the greatest player to ever play, along with Kareem and Michael Jordan. …He’s delivered championships in three different places that he’s played in. He deserves it. …No doubt about it.’’
In addition to leading the Lakers to the title in 2020, James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first title in franchise history and won two titles with the Miami Heat.
Thompson won championship rings with the Lakers in 1987 and 1988. He played alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, two Laker legends who have bronze statues in Star Plaza.
Thompson, a radio color commentator for the Lakers, knows there’s a faction of fans who oppose James’ getting a statue.
“I just think that people are being narrow-minded and basically don’t understand the game,’’ Thompson said. “That’s what I think of when I hear people say he doesn’t deserve a statue in front of Crypto.com. ‘He isn’t a Laker legend’ (say the critics).
“Obviously, I don’t think anybody will match Kareem and Magic and Kobe, those three and Jerry West. But LeBron is every bit as much as a legend as everybody else. A Laker legend.”
How LeBron James stacks up against statue honorees
Comparing Lakers who have been honored by statues helps establish the informal criteria.
Those greats didn’t just win titles; they played critical roles in leading the Lakers.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had six NBA championship rings, six NBA MVPs and two NBA Finals MVPs.
Magic Johnson had five NBA championships, three NBA MVPs and three NBA Finals MVPs.
Kobe Bryant had five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs and one NBA MVP.
Shaquille O’Neal had three NBA championships with the Lakers (and one with the Miami Heat), three NBA Finals MVPs with the Lakers.
James had one NBA championship with the Lakers and was voted NBA Finals MVP after Los Angeles beat the Heat four games to two.
Jerry West had only one as a player but six as the Lakers general manager.
Elgin Baylor did not win an NBA title during his 14-year NBA career, which he spent exclusively with the Lakers.
The non-players honored by statues are Pat Riley, who was the Lakers’ head coach during the Showtime era and helped guide the Lakers to four titles, and Chick Hearn, the late play-by-play announcer.
LeBron James impact beyond titles
James arrived with the task of restoring excellence to the foundering dynasty. The Lakers had failed to reach the playoffs for five straight seasons, and they missed them again during James’ first year with the team.
But over the next seven years, the Lakers made the playoffs six times and won the league title 2020 during the pandemic-shortened season. Los Angeles reached the Western Conference Finals once more during LeBron’s eight-year tenure.
While with the Lakers, James also surpassed Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and in 2024 he and his son Bronny became the first father and son to take the court together.
Those were memorable moments. Whether they’ll impact James’ chances to getting a statue with the Lakers remains to be seen.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does LeBron deserve a Lakers statue? This former champion thinks so
