Hall of Famer Magic Johnson has issued a passionate plea on social media. He wants the statue of a specific person added to Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena. His own bronze likeness is already there. The Los Angeles Lakers also just announced plans to honor one of their own next year. Magic is now calling for one more long-overdue LA honor for someone who brought out his inner magic.

Johnson’s demand comes in direct response to the Lakers’ announcement that legendary head coach Phil Jackson will receive the franchise’s ninth statue at Star Plaza, with an official unveiling scheduled for April 9, 2027. Supporting a popular column by California Post writer Khobi Price, Johnson quickly shared his endorsement on social media, backing the late Dr. Jerry Buss.

“He’s not only the greatest owner in NBA history but he also has a strong argument for the greatest franchise owner in sports history,” Johnson quoted from Price’s column.

“Words from Khobi Price in his latest article in the @nypost — and he’s exactly right! I 100% agree that Dr. Jerry Buss is the greatest franchise owner in sports history and deserves a statues in front of Crypto arena soon in his honor!” Johnson subsequently added on X.

As recently as February, the team honored Pat Riley, the architect of the 1980s “Showtime” era, with a bronze monument, joining previous inductees Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant.

Jackson, who guided the Lakers to five NBA titles across two separate coaching stints (2000–2002, 2009–2010), had Dr. Buss as the central architect of both historic eras. Buss originally purchased the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 for $67.5 million, a landmark transaction that included the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the Great Western Forum in Inglewood.

Upon arrival, Buss’ immediate order of business was to draft Johnson with the No. 1 overall pick. He won a title with the Lakers in his very first season. Only a year after that, Buss made a monumental call to offer Johnson a 25-year contract (starting in 1984 and ending in 2009) for $1 million a year. People wondered if Johnson would even play for so long, but that’s when Buss unveiled his plan.

”He may even be my coach,” Buss said to the media. ”Or general manager. Or maybe he’ll run the team, and I’ll just sit back and watch. Magic is a bright kid, and I plan to make him my protege, teach him the business aspect of sports. I realize this is a very unusual contract because we’re talking about a kid whose college class just graduated. But what it comes down to is that Magic is part of the family.”

They went on to build a very special connection from there on. With the Showtime Lakers, Johnson won five championships as a player and five more as an executive and minority investor. In fact, Johnson was among the few people Dr. Buss summoned to the hospital during his final days of battling cancer.

Both of them reminisced about the good old days, and hours after his death, Johnson, overcome with grief, said, “Without Dr. Jerry Buss, there is no Magic.”

“Dr. Buss gave me the platform to be Magic,” Johnson said. “He gave me the knowledge to be Magic.”

Johnson was referring not only to the long-term contract but also to the cushion he had when he attempted an NBA comeback in the fall of ’92, just a year after his initial HIV-related retirement. Buss didn’t ask any questions and handed Johnson a one-year deal for about $14 million to make up for all the cash he missed out on.

Although Johnson only played a handful of games, Buss insisted the front office pay the franchise legend the entire amount he had signed for. Over the next few years, Johnson spent time with Buss, both professionally and personally, learning the business side.

“He said, ‘Earvin, let me teach you the business,’” Johnson recalled. “He brought me in, showed me the books, taught me how it all works, introduced me to people I would never have met, made me understand what it means to be in L.A.”

Buss also made the rare move, allowing Johnson to buy into his Lakers shares for $10 million, representing about 4 percent.

All in all, under Jerry Buss’ 34-year stewardship, the LA franchise achieved unmatched success: 10 NBA championships, 16 Western Conference titles, and 32 playoff appearances.

It wasn’t just about building the Purple & Gold brand. Buss pioneered SoCal’s sports culture, introducing courtside entertainment (Laker Girls), corporate sponsorship structures (selling naming rights), and prime-time sports presentation (launching regional networks).

Meanwhile, the momentum behind honoring Dr. Buss also coincides with leadership shifts within the Lakers’ front office… After the Buss family maintained majority control for decades, Dodgers owner Mark Walter purchased a controlling interest in June 2025 at a record $10 billion valuation.

Just 14 months later, amid federal scrutiny into Walter’s broader business entities that seem to sweep Magic too, majority control shifted again to Thrive Capital’s Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger at an unprecedented $12.5 billion valuation.

Meanwhile, internal friction among the Buss heirs has further complicated the family’s remaining 17.8% minority stake. Five of Dr. Buss’ children: Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey, and Jesse attempted to sell their shares to Kushner and Iger.

That prompted current Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss to file a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to block the sale. With court proceedings set for December 8, legal and corporate uncertainty hangs over the founding family’s legacy.

If the shares that the Buss siblings intend to sell go through, it would mark the end of the legacy Dr. Buss started. And it’s only pushed Lakers Nation to agree with Magic Johnson that the legendary LA shot-caller deserves his own monument before it all falls apart.

As Kushner and Iger are to assume control of the world’s most valuable basketball franchise, sports analysts and team icons alike point out that installing a permanent statue of Dr. Jerry Buss outside Crypto.com Arena would be an essential gesture to honor the architect of the Lakers’ global brand.