Greatness eventually demands its spotlight in bronze and bold. The Lakers announced that they will honor Pat Riley with a statue outside Staples Center, a tribute that has been long in the making. He won one championship as a player and built his immortality by capturing five more as the architect of Showtime.

Yet when one legend steps into history, the conversation widens. Surely Phil Jackson belongs in that same line of glory. And surely Jeanie Buss’s family, the heartbeat behind it all, deserves its eternal place too.

Lakers owners must honor Phil Jackson and Jerry Buss without delay

ESPN’s Andy Kamenetzky, on ESPN LA, said: “Pat Riley is getting his statue. That means Phil Jackson, his is coming soon, rightly as it should. And by the way, I hope they do this quickly.” Why quickly, you might be wondering. You see, the Miami Heat president is already 80. Phil Jackson is 79, he turns 80 in September this year. So, the host added, “Because with guys Pat Riley’s age, Phil Jackson’s age, you want to make sure, at the risk of sounding morbid, that they are around to see it. Because you never know. And these are guys who have earned the right to experience these sort of tributes.”

Now, both Riley and Jackson have won rings in the NBA as players. While the former held the trophy with the Lakers in 1972, the latter held it twice in 1970 and 1973 with the Knicks. But now, they’re aging. And Mark Walter & Co. would want to honor them before some morbid news drops in! Coming back to LA, both Pat Riley and Phil Jackson have won multiple rings as the head coach of the LA Lakers. The Godfather took charge from 1981-1990 and won 5 championships in his era. Meanwhile, Jackson has 11 rings, including 5 with the Lakers in the 2000s. However, if you’re talking about LA, then Jerry Buss has to be a part of the conversation.

In 1979, Jerry Buss stunned the world with one dazzling stroke, buying the Los Angeles Lakers, the LA Kings, and the LA Forum for $67.5 million. The gamble became legend, fueling an empire that redefined sport and spectacle. And when Buss passed in 2013, the torch stayed in the family, keeping the dynasty alive. His daughter, Jeanie Buss, took the reins. Since there was no turning back. Surely, she sold the franchise to Mark Walter earlier in June this year at $10 billion. Yet, nothing takes away the fact that Dr. Buss and all the rings that came during his supervision all sum up to a statue that’s still missing.

Therefore, Kamentezky noted: “Also, I am assuming, I may be wrong, but I’m assuming that the only reason Dr. Buss does not have a statue is they may have understandably, if unnecessarily, thought that it might have seemed gauche for them to give their dad a statue. Even though nobody would have. No, not at all.”

Kamentezky suggested that Jerry Buss’s family likely withheld a statue for him because they felt it would appear self-serving to commission one. However, he stressed that such hesitation is unnecessary, since no one would see it that way. Buss’s unmatched influence, much of what the Los Angeles Lakers and even the modern NBA represent today would not exist without his vision and leadership. “I believe that now that the Lakers are going to be owned in the near future by Mark Walter, the Dr. Buss statue will be forthcoming,” he added. “And again, no brainer. I would argue long overdue.”

Now, let’s shift the focus back to the forever iconic, ruthless, Pat Riley who has once again etched his name as one of the greatest personalities in the NBA universe. That status outside Crypto.com Arena is nothing but another stamp on his glorious 60 years in basketball.

Pat Riley to be immortalized as a Lakers legend

Pat Riley is about to take his place in bronze glory. On February 22, the Los Angeles Lakers will unveil his statue outside their downtown arena, forever linking him with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant. The moment grows richer because the opponent that night will be the Boston Celtics, the very rival Riley helped the Lakers conquer during the 1980s Showtime battles.

Riley’s reign from 1981 to 1990 turned the Lakers into an unstoppable force. With Kareem and Magic leading a dazzling roster, the Showtime offense thrilled fans and terrified opponents. Under Riley, Los Angeles went 533 wins to 194 losses with a .733 percentage, and added 102 playoff victories. He also claimed championships in 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. They won at least 50 games every season and stacked five consecutive 60 win years.

The story of Riley began earlier. From 1970 to 1975, he wore Lakers colors as a player, even joining the 1971 72 squad that rattled off 33 straight wins and seized a championship. By 1979, he became Paul Westhead’s assistant before stepping into the head coach role. Later he shaped the Knicks and the Heat, winning another title in 2006. Now 80, he serves as Heat president and becomes the eighth Lakers legend immortalized in Star Plaza.

Glory never asks for permission, it carves its own pedestal. Pat Riley’s statue will rise, cementing a journey that spanned player, coach, and godfather of Showtime. Yet the story stretches wider. Phil Jackson waits in queue, while Jerry Buss deserves the much-awaited honor. Statues may take time, but legends deserve them now. Because in basketball, immortality belongs to those who built empires.