James Worthy believes LeBron James' 'overall greatness' deserves 2 statues for 2 different teams: "Breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record in Los Angeles"
NBA icon LeBron James has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and LA Lakers, winning four NBA championships and cementing himself as one of the greatest players in the history of all three franchises.
Hence, it wouldn't come as a surprise if he got a statue outside of the respective arenas after his retirement.
James Worthy explains why LeBron James could get a statue from the Lakers
LA Lakers legend James Worthy shared his thoughts on why LeBron James deserves to get a statue.
A seven-time All-Star, three-time champion and 1988 NBA Finals MVP, Worthy, who spent his entire 12-year career with the Lakers (1982-1994), gave an interesting take on why James could be memorialized by the 17-time NBA champions in the future.
"It depends on what he does here out," Worthy told TMZ Sports when asked about the possibility of a James statue. "Personally — and I think he'd agree — he hasn't been here long enough."
"But I think his overall greatness, when you have a player like LeBron, who breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's (all-time scoring) record in Los Angeles, does it as a Laker, then wins a championship as a Laker, you can't argue that he could get a statue in Los Angeles."
LeBron James has spent the last five seasons with the Lakers, leading the team to the 2020 NBA championsip and the 2023 Western Conference finals. The franchise has also missed the playoffs twice and suffered a first-round playoff exit in that stretch.
There are six people who have statues outside the Lakers' arena: Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Shaquille O'Neal and legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn.
The late Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest Lakers players of all time with five NBA championships, will also get his statue outside Crypto.com Arena soon.
James Worthy also said that LeBron James deserves a statue from the Cavaliers, but he never mentioned the Heat.
Before joining the Lakers, LeBron James had two stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010, 2014-2018), leading them to five NBA Finals appearances and the first championship in franchise history in 2016.
In between them, he spent four years with the Miami Heat, guiding them to four consecutive finals appearances and winning two championships.
LeBron James has two years left on his current deal with the Lakers, with the final year being a player option. He is still in great shape and has his sights set on winning another NBA championship and solidifying himself as the greatest player of all time.