Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - Which Lakers Great Should be Next to get a Statue? (Worthy? LeBron? Luka?)

Episode Date: February 24, 2026

Sunday's blowout loss to the hated Celtics was desperately starved for moments Lakers fans could embrace, but unveiling Pat Riley's statue certainly qualified as a rousing success, even acknowledging the incredibly low bar to clear. The franchise icon instantly recalls memories of championships, innovative basketball, boundless fun, and an indelible culture. The immortalization of Riles was a no-brainer and arguably overdue, but happily, Riley and his family could enjoy this honor with Lakers Nation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pat Riley's statue unveiling is a major success at Star Plaza. We'll tell you who should be honored next. Next. You are Locked-on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for making Locked on Lakers first listen to every day, Monday through Friday, sometimes on weekends, even on holidays,

and now more than once a day, no matter how where you catch your podcasts. you are part with it, Spotify, Apple, part of making the Lockdown Podcast Network, the number one sports podcast network in this or any other known universe. Shout out to the 37 plus thousand plus subscribers to be locked on Lickers. YouTube channel, which is a great place to interact with me and Andy. You can also do it on social at Cam Brothers, but we love to see your questions and comments. We try to use them on the show to inform topics and all that stuff.

We're very interactive on that YouTube page, so find us. Andy, the Star Plaza is getting filled with legends and some really nice statues. If you ever have a chance to go visit crypto.com arena, whether for a game or just if you're in the area downtown at LA Live, it's really cool now. And the quality of the work has increased significantly over the years, including now the latest update, the Pat Riley statue, which was unveiled a ahead of the Celtics game on Sunday, and to say the least, was the highlight of the afternoon because the game sucked.

But the statue ceremony itself was fantastic. Yeah, it was really great. As for always, whenever there is anything involving the Showtime era, you get a lot of those guys showing up, magic, emceived, the halftime piece of this where Pat Riley was honored and he spoke and side note as somebody who talks for a living, it is absolutely disgusting to watch Pat Riley, who is going to be 81-ethon years old in March, speak so well giving a speech at his age. Stop making the rest of us look so pathetic, Riles.

I was a little worried that they'd have to push back the tip just because Riles would just keep going. Well, Riles can talk. Like, he can, I have interviewed Pat Riley before, which another side note, intimidating as hell is really intimidating. Like, I was doing a phone interview with Pat Riley, and that in and of itself was intimidating. He could not have been any nicer. We work with Michael Thompson, part of the, you know, the Showtime Lakers, and on 710 ESPN, he does the radio call.

And Michael says still to this day, not really facetiously, he is still afraid to upset Pat Riley. It was awesome to have Magic and Kareem and Worthy and Norm Nixon and Kurt Rambus and all these different members of Showtime there for Riley at halftime. The statue was unveiled before the game. It's, of course, Riley in an Armani. And we know this because that was part of the notes sent to us. by the Lakers, it was Armani. It cannot be overstated just how much of an icon Pat Riley was, not just as a basketball genius during Showtime's heyday,

but like a true cultural icon. Michael Douglas, who also spoke during the statue unveiling, he and Pat Riley become close friends. He has copped to the Gordon Gecko character in Wall Street, that slick back hair and general aura. was very much modeled after Pat Riley. Also, Kurt Russell's character in the movie Tequila Sunrise with Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer in 1988,

that role was not just the way Kurt Russell dressed and slicked back his own hair, modeled after Pat Riley. It was originally offered to Pat Riley, and Pat Riley turned it down because he was too busy coaching the Lakers. But Pat Riley was the, Pat Riley was Choice 1, Kurt Russell at like height of fame, choice two. Just to add on to that, I tweeted out a great post from Derek Guy, if you don't follow him, if you're into it at all into clothes or the history of clothing. Derek Guy, die workwear, had a phenomenal post about how to dress like Pat Riley in 2026, you know, especially since, you know, for a lot of reasons.

Vintage Armani is apparently a tough thing to pull off today. But read the post. It's fascinating. Anyway, the one thing that I think is just great, too, is like you start, I mentioned this before in the open, like, the quality of these statues, I really think they need to go back and do magic again. Like the Magic Johnson statue is not good. It's not. And it was right at the beginning of it was the first one out there.

And like, you know, I don't know if it's statue technology. Is that AI, as my daughter might say, whatever it is, they've gotten really good doing this. The last few have all been outstanding, very interesting, creative. I love the pose that they picked up, you know, with Riley, with a fist up in the air to show, which was the signal for giving. the ball to Kareem for a skyhook. Like, there's just spot on with all this stuff. So after the break, though, I want to talk a little bit about sort of who's next, like,

who you, because it raises some interesting questions about, you know, current, past and future Lakers. So we'll do that next. Locked on Lakers is brought to you by prize picks. Shoot your shot on prize picks. get 50 bucks instantly in lineups when you play your first $5. That's right. Price picks is giving you $50 in lineups when you sign up and play your first $5

lineup. Price picks makes every dunk, dime, and every board that much more exciting. It's America's number one app for sports picks. Price picks, simple to play. Just pick more or less than two to six player staff projections. And if your picks are right, you can cash in. You can choose from basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, UFC, and more. And they got features like early payouts.

and flex play. So you got options when the game's still happening. It takes just a couple minutes to create a lineup. The social feature they got is really cool. You can see what other people are playing. You can take inspiration from them or just copy them, whatever, if you like it that much. It's available in all 50 states.

So easy for just about anybody to jump in. Download the Price Picks app today. Use the code Locked on MBA to get 50 bucks in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code Locked on MBA to get 50 bucks in lineups. After you play first $5 lineup, prize picks, it is good. to be right. Locked on Lakers, also brought to by Fanduel.

Ever wanted to experience the NBA Finals live and impersonal? FanDuel is giving you the chance to turn that dream into reality with their NBA sweepstakes. Here's how it works. You use your profit boost on any NBA future, and you'll be automatically entered to win for a shot to win. An NBA Finals trip for two. That's right. Flights, tickets, the whole experience.

So if you're already looking at the board thinking about which team can make a deep run, this is a perfect time to lock it in. So visit Fanduel. to get started, use your profit boost on an NBA future and get entered for your chance to win a trip to the NBA finals. Play your game with Fandul, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Lockdown Lake is brought to you by TurboTax. Tax season does not need to take over your life. This year, TurboTax is making it easier to just hand things off, move on with your day with TurboTax full service. You can have your taxes done for you by a trusted local expert.

Start to finish without the stress of guesswork. Instead of spending hours trying to figure out forms, you can meet with a local turbotax expert in-person or connect online. They handle everything from W2s, self-employed forms, and they work to get you every deduction. And it's a huge time saver. It gives you a real peace of mind knowing an expert is handling this. For a limited time, you can have your taxes done by a local tax expert for just

$150, all in. And if a TurboTax expert didn't file for you last year, just file by February 28. Take taxes off your plate. Get back to your life. Visit turbotax.com slash local to book your appointment today. There are a few different ways, like the next statue. Like Riley was an easy one. Like that one makes a ton of sense.

I don't know, not to be morbid, but like I think we've all learned from experience, like get these things done. Absolutely. And so with that spirit in mind, I think the next one that they should get done is Phil Jackson. Absolutely. And I think at some point, especially now that Jeannie is no longer the controlling owner of the team, I think Dr. Busch should get a statue. Yeah. But, you know, he's since passed.

And so that one is not as timely. And also, I think a little more time that passes where Mark Walter is the owner is probably helpful for that. But like, they need to get filled on. I think to me, that one's pretty obvious. I've always gotten a sense that, you know, Dr. Buss is so obvious to have a statue for, but the family. the bus family felt like it almost would have been gauche for them to decide their father's getting a statue,

even though no explanation is required. But in terms of people where it's a little more directly on the floor or whatever it might be, I think Phil is the next obvious candidate. And I'd be surprised if they didn't get going on something like that pretty quick. They really should, given Phil's age and his health concerns and cancer, scares he's had in the past and also just to your point you don't want to wait too long you want to try to ensure as much as possible that Phil is here to enjoy this healthy enough to enjoy this like to where he can get through the ceremony comfortably or as comfortable as really Phil can be

at this age with the mileage on his legs and hips and all that stuff I think Stu Lance is very much a statue worthy. Hmm, that's an interesting one. I've not, I'll be honest with you. Never thought about it. Well, let me put it this way. In any other city, Stu Lance is your gold standard for he is like one of your gold standard announcers. Like he has been broadcasting for the Lakers, the Lakers for, what is it, going on five decades, something like that.

he's very good. He's very popular. He is a former Laker. The fact that he happened to share, you know, a booth with Chick Hearn is and was in a city with Vin Scully and Bob Miller and like all these other legends like anywhere else, Stu, again, is the gold standard. Maybe you would wait until after he retires. I mean, he does fall short of one of the criteria.

which is he is not in the Hall of Fame. He is in the Southern California Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Is that close enough? I honestly, I don't know. I know you're kind of being flipping, but I really don't know the answer. He's not. He's not in the Hall of Fame. No, but I mean, I don't know if that standard is only for players and coaches.

Like, I don't know if they would apply it as strictly to somebody like Stu. I mean, the only broadcaster that they do have a statue of is in fact a Hall of Fame. Sure. But, well, put it this way. The comp I would make would be Fernando with the Dodgers. Fernando is not in the Hall of Fame, but I also feel like you cannot tell the story of the Dodgers. And frankly,

I would say you can't tell the story of baseball without Fernando Valenzuela. And some guys are exceptions that prove the rule. Stu has come to mind for me. I think James Worthy. I was going to ask you, like, who's the next? Because the player is tricky. I think Worthy is one more. like worthy, I don't think a lot of Lakers fans would argue about.

You could make an argument. I wouldn't, but, you know, Cooper is in the Hall of Fame, but he's not a stat. Here's the, the tricky question is, who is the next, like, modern player, which is really code for should LeBron get a statue? I would say no. I mean, LeBron's going to be automatic, no-brainer, Jersey retired. Jeannie Bust has already said that his Jersey was retired. 100%.

And I have zero issues with. LeBron having his jersey retired. He was a finals MVP for championship team. He is also LeBron F and James. And by the time he's done with the Lakers, if you look at like Lakers records, he's going to be way up there and a lot of stuff. He became the all-time scoring leader in a Lakers uniform.

Like it makes perfect sense. But the delineation for statue is yet another level. Like the statues for the players, for those unaware, Kobe, Shaq, Kareem Magic, West, Elgin Baylor. Like, those are your players. The Hall of Famers who have their jersey retired, but do not yet have a statue. The list is Jamal Wilkes, Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Pau Gasol, Gail Goodrich, George Miken, who is his own kind of separate thing because it's Minnesota.

And Wilt, this is important. Wilt does not have a statue either. other than James Worthy, I don't think you can really make a strong case. James Worthy, three championships and a finals MVP for the Lakers, plus his long time ties to the broadcasting team. I think James Worthy is at the very least strong consideration. I'm sure some people would say no, but I think it's strong consideration. LeBron's time with the Lakers reminds me a lot of Wilt's time.

Wilk played fewer seasons, only five, as opposed to LeBron's eight. But Wilts' time produced the same amount of championships won and also just more winning. Wilt in five seasons, the worst they ever did was one Western conference. Willet did a lot of winning in his time in L.A. Andy. Yes, he did. Tremendous winning. Oh, yes, he did. Maybe that's why he hasn't gotten a statue.

The pose is not safe for work. So very much winning. Yes, and you have to figure out who is his partner in the statute. And then there was the basketball. Yeah, it's weird. But Will never reached anything less than a Western Conference Finals. In five seasons with the Lakers, four finals, one championship. I recognize his teams were more stacked than the ones LeBron's dealt with.

The flip side is, showtime was really stacked, and it hasn't stopped. of those guys you've gotten statues. I look at it this way. I don't think LeBron is meant enough to the Lakers on that level to get a statue. I'll tell you this. You can say not meant. Let's say they want a title this year. Maybe it's like change the statue conversation to me like and I can't speak to Wilt's connection

to the city. Again, we keep waiting into. We made a lot of friends. A lot of friends. But I can't speak to his connection to the fans. Yeah, you can actually. That is before, I don't know if those were fans necessarily. Those perform.

They were fans for a night or multiple nights. I didn't see necessarily even a night. If you do the math, not everybody could spend the night. That is true. It just wasn't enough time. Sorry, you got to go. My three o'clock is in the driveway. You reach a point where, like, you know, I can't, again,

Wilts can be like, I can't, I didn't watch Magic Worthy, those guys play in L.A. Like, I wasn't at the forum, but like, been around long. I know the connection that those players have. I know connection Cooper has. Like, to your point, Stu Lance, I think has a deeper connection to Lakers fans, a more meaningful connection to Lakers fans than LeBron does. And that's the type of me. Like, you just, he falls short of that, you know, how I think,

is closer on the connection, love, and support from Lakers fans thing, and just falls a little bit short on the basketball side, that to me is it? He's definitely going to get a statue with Miami. He's definitely going to get a statue with Cleveland. And those are no-brainers because he has meant more to those organizations. Again, LeBron will get his jersey retired and that is a no-brainer. It should happen. But there are delineations.

You know, Luca, you hope, you hope that when it's all said and done, Luke is a no-brainer. But other than worthy, I don't think there's any other player who really merits strong concern for a statue. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where you can hang out with over 37,000 subscribers to the channel. We will see everyone next time.