Kareem's Statue: Skyhook

The Rock wrote:

Lets Go Lakers wrote:About time.

But it's an utter joke that De La Hoya has a statue. What the heck has he done at Staples except fight ther a few times?

And i doubt Shaq gets a statue. He got us 3 rings but like others have said, only a portion of his career have been with LA. A jersey is fine with me.

therealdeal wrote:De La Hoya was more for the city than it was for the Staples Center.

And if you guys didn't like that statue, then how do you feel about the Gretsky statue? Neither of those is particularly deserving above Abdul-Jabbar, but they happened. People got on Kareem's case for the way he whined about not having a statue, but I would be mad too if those guys went up before me.

pound4pound1 wrote:

therealdeal wrote:De La Hoya was more for the city than it was for the Staples Center.

And if you guys didn't like that statue, then how do you feel about the Gretsky statue? Neither of those is particularly deserving above Abdul-Jabbar, but they happened. People got on Kareem's case for the way he whined about not having a statue, but I would be mad too if those guys went up before me.

they should have put Oscar's statue in front of the school or hospital that he built...but i agree it was more for the city...just kinda weird for a guy with a losing record at that venue to have one

as for Gretz, it was for what he did for hockey in general...he was responsible for teams like the Quacks and Sharks being made...coincidentally, 2 teams i cant stand lol

therealdeal wrote:Not a huge soccer fan so excuse me.

Doc Brown wrote:

therealdeal wrote:Not a huge soccer fan so excuse me.

therealdeal wrote:De La Hoya was more for the city than it was for the Staples Center.

And if you guys didn't like that statue, then how do you feel about the Gretsky statue? Neither of those is particularly deserving above Abdul-Jabbar, but they happened. People got on Kareem's case for the way he whined about not having a statue, but I would be mad too if those guys went up before me.

432J wrote:

therealdeal wrote:De La Hoya was more for the city than it was for the Staples Center.

And if you guys didn't like that statue, then how do you feel about the Gretsky statue? Neither of those is particularly deserving above Abdul-Jabbar, but they happened. People got on Kareem's case for the way he whined about not having a statue, but I would be mad too if those guys went up before me.

if anyone thinks that gretzky doesn't deserve a statue, let me be the first to point out how wrong you are

if it wasn't for wayne gretzky, would there be any interest in hockey in socal? No. not to mention that he led a once sorry franchise in the kings to the stanley cup finals. anyone who knows hockey knows that he single-handedly changed the sport of hockey and brought in a whole new generation of fans. in terms of impact he had on the sport, he is unparalleled. oh and did i mention that he is the greatest player who ever lived? look at his stats and prepare to be mindblown, no one is even close.

as for de la hoya having a statue, it's very uncecessary. yes i understand that he's a local guy and had some success but was he the greatest fighter ever? no. is he even a top 20 fighter ever? no. if they really had to make a statue for him, they should have put it outside city hall or in another location. not in front of an arena in which he has absolutely nothing to do with

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A statue honoring legendary Los Angeles Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be unveiled Friday afternoon at STAPLES Center.

The nearly 16’ tall, 1,500-pound bronze statue of the NBA Hall of Famer will be revealed during a 4:30 p.m. ceremony featuring Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West, James Worthy, Pat Riley, Richard Lapchik, Eddie Doucette and others.

The statue, created by renowned sculptors/artists Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany, will join other iconic sculptures of celebrated Los Angeles sports superstars Wayne Gretzky, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jerry West, Chick Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya.

The ceremony will be “highlighted by speeches from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other individuals who were his teammates, colleagues and friends during his unprecedented career and will conclude with a climactic unveiling of the statue,” officials said in a statement.

It is free and open to the public.

lakerswiz wrote:I would love for Kobe & Shaq to have a statue with the alley-oop from 2000. First year Staples was open, the start of our dynasty, their first title, the beginning of our modern Lakers team.