Los Angeles Lakers: Jeanie Buss hints at when Kobe Bryant will get his bronze statue

In a recent appearance on the Mason and Ireland show, Jeanie Buss made public that Kobe Bryant will have his very own bronze statue down the road.

On December 18, 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers permanently immortalized Kobe Bryant’s No’s. 8 and 24. In doing so, he became the first player in NBA history to have more than one number retired by a single franchise.

It is perhaps appropriate that arguably the greatest Laker ever had his numbers hung to the left and right of Chick Hearn’s purple microphone because Chick is considered by many to have been the best at his craft.

Another facet of the night made it obvious as to how big of a deal it was. The Lakers’ opponent that night, the Golden State Warriors, stayed on the court at halftime to watch Kobe’s ceremony. Courtesy of Steve Kerr (who played with M.J.), he did not want his players to miss a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

The Lakers have had a plethora of great players throughout their rich history. However, only so many have received the privilege of having their jersey number retired. Thus, one could up the ante on the word “great” in those cases to something along the lines of legendary.

Certainly, in terms of Kobe, though, even words like legendary do not seem strong enough. The five championships he brought to Los Angeles merely scratch the surface impact wise.

Bryant is one of the main reasons many young kids have picked up a basketball, to begin with. Oftentimes, to this very day, resounding “Kobe” chants are echoed when crumbled up pieces of paper are discarded.

Kobe was just the 10^th player in team history to get his jersey immortalized. Despite that truth, there is yet another club at Staples Center that is tougher to enter. That club is reserved to those with bronze statues outside of the arena.

As of now, the only former Lakers’ players with that honor are Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Jerry West. Hearn is among that rare bunch as well, and, in April, Elgin Baylor will join the elite of the elites.

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Just about any NBA follower would agree that Bryant will one day have his own statue. Controlling owner Jeanie Buss gave her stamp of approval on the subject recently, too, while on the Mason and Ireland show. Via Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation, the following is what Buss had to say.

"“Our tradition is to retire a jersey when a player is entered into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Now, to be considered for the Hall of Fame, you have to be retired for five years. Obviously, we didn’t stick with that rule, because when Magic Johnson retired, we immediately retired his jersey. Shaq asked to have his jersey retired while my dad was still alive because he wanted my dad to know he wanted to retire a Laker. So we made an exception there. We obviously made an exception for Kobe two years after he retired, because we know he’s going into the Hall of Fame. So what we did with Shaq, when he went into the Basketball Hall of Fame, that’s when we unveiled his statue. So I guess we can assume that at some point Kobe will be considered for the Basketball Hall of Fame, and we’ll figure it out.”"

Assuming Buss’ words are upheld, the Black Mamba’s statue may be ready in as little as three years. The latter is still that many years away from being eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

With respect to this, it is only a matter of time. Each half of his career presents a Hall of Fame worthy case without a doubt. Therefore, Lakers’ supporters will not have to wait seemingly forever for the moment to come. He is a lock to have his own bronze statue outside Staples Center because of his Hall of Fame credentials.

As Hansford similarly states, what is tricky to figure out is what specific pose will be etched in bronze. There are simply too many to select from.

Nevertheless, when the time arrives, though, one can surmise it will be epic. In all likelihood, the pose in some way, shape, or form will epitomize Kobe’s fierce competitive spirit.

Next: Kobe Bryant's Top 10 Games Of All-Time

What is every bit as certain is that the event will surely be grand. The Lakers are quite famous for going to extremes, and it will be inevitable when Bryant’s career is celebrated in the future one last time.