Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the greatest players to ever wear Purple and Gold. The former might have had a much longer and more successful career in LA than anybody else, but Matt Barnes thinks both of them get a statute.
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Former Lakers forward have echoed Shaquille O’Neal’s voice and recently advocated that there should be a James statue at Crypto.com Arena, at some point in time down the line.
“They gotta worry about getting that Kobe statue up first,” Matt said to TMZ Sports. “But obviously, LeBron is an all-time great, so I’m sure they’ll find a way to honor him with a statue.”
Also read: LeBron James Saved Justin Bieber’s Reputation By Urging him to Turn Down $5 Million
Why is there a delay in the Kobe Bryant statue?
There are players who achieved equal to Kobe in LA. Actually, there is just one guy, Eravin Magic Johnson. Magic led 5 Lakers teams to championships in his 12-year storied career.
He has a statue at the stadium which formerly went by Staples Center. Shaq, Kobe’s former teammate, with whom the Black Mamba won his first three of five championships, also has one.
If you think the franchise owner Jeanie Buss and company have forgotten about the franchise legend, they have not. She said it’s an internal matter and that it would be done the right way and at the right time.
But before that happens, it’s unlikely that anyone else will get a statue before Kobe. Be it that man recently left Kareem Abdul-Jabbar behind to be the top scorer of the NBA.
What poses should these statues of Kobe and LeBron have?
James had a tremendously successful career, spanning his legacy and dominance over two decades and with three separate franchises, all of whom might have a statue of him, on their premises when it’s all said and done.
Cleveland can go with the Block, Heat with the famous dunk of him and Dwyane Wade celebrating will have them covered on both legends, while the Lakers should be using fadeaway shots for theirs.
Kobe, on the other hand, will have just one statue because the legend played 20 years in the same franchise and served it much longer than he lived as a civilian before it. I, for one, think it should be the no-flinch-Kobe.
