The Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most championships in NBA history. Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kobe Bryant are just some of the few legends who’ve played there.
Needless to say, the bar is quite high when it comes to having your jersey retired by an organization like this. Most of them won multiple championships and led the team to the NBA Finals more often than not.
That’s why LeBron James’ tenure in Los Angeles has been so controversial. He did win a ring and became the league’s all-time leading scorer there, but it has been far from his most successul stint in the league. Even so, team owner Jeanie Buss has no doubt in her mind that the team will eventually retire his jersey.
Jeanie Buss Confirms Lakers Will Retire LeBron James’ Jersey
“The standard for having your jersey retired as a Laker is when a player is inducted into the Hall of Fame. I have absolutely no doubt that LeBron will make it into the Basketball Hall of Fame,” Buss told Sportskeeda.
“When he does so, then we will retire his jersey,” Buss added. “Knowing that he will make it into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he will have his Lakers jersey retired, no doubt about it.”
Buss later claimed that the team would figure out whether to retire No. 6, No. 23, or both when the time comes, a decision that might turn out to be controversial among the fans.