LeBron James is all set to play his eighth season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Believe it or not, this will be LeBron James‘ longest tenure with a single franchise without leaving in his NBA career. Sure, he played a total of 11 years for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he did so in two stints.
Speaking of LBJ’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers, it has been full of ups and downs, but the King still helped the Purple and Gold win the 2020 NBA Championship.
He also broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record as a member of the Lakers. With James already 40 years old, many have started debating whether he deserves a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesDerek Fisher drops an unfiltered take on LeBron James potentially getting an LA statue
Considering the Lakers are one of the most decorated franchises in NBA history, the organization has had a plethora of iconic players donning its jerseys.
The list features the likes of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and more. Getting a statue outside of the Crypto.com Arena, however, is no small feat.
In fact, only seven individual players have been blessed with that honor throughout the Lakers’ existence in the league.
So, is James worthy of getting a statue? Well, 5x NBA champion Derek Fisher certainly doesn’t seem to think so.
“If LeBron gets a statue, I better get two of them,” Fisher said (h/t HoopMixOnly).
Fisher played a vital supporting role in the Lakers’ five titles. While he has an impressive resume, it’s still not good enough to get a statue.
LA Lakers fans agree with Derek Fisher’s take on LeBron James
Even though James is a much better individual player, most of the Laker Nation on X agreed with Fisher and believe that the King hasn’t had a huge impact on the franchise.
“He’s not wrong,” one fan wrote. While another added: “Lebron getting a statue is ridiculous.”
“Agreed, Lebron is not a true Laker legend,” a third fan added.
“D-Fish still hitting those clutch shots,” a fourth fan stated.
“LeBron can get a statue in Cleveland, but he isn’t a Lakers legend, so Derek Fisher is correct,” a fan pointed out.
At the end of the day, whether LBJ gets a statue in LA or not is something that the top brass will decide. However, if the King can bring one more title to the city, he may have better support from fans.