LeBron James’ future is once again one of the biggest stories in sports.

Reports indicate that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer intends to play next season, but has informed the Los Angeles Lakers that they should feel free to move on if that’s what’s best for the organization. According to multiple reports, LeBron has instructed his agent, Rich Paul, to listen to interested teams and submit offers while he takes his time deciding what the next chapter of his career looks like.

I’ll save my thoughts on where I think LeBron ultimately lands for an upcoming video on the Empire Sports Talk YouTube channel.

Instead, I want to tackle a question I recently saw floating around social media that I found much more interesting:

Does LeBron James deserve a statue outside the Lakers’ arena?

For me, the answer is…it’s complicated.

The first thing we have to do is separate that question from another one that often gets lumped together with it.

Should the Lakers retire LeBron James’ jersey?

To me, that’s an entirely different conversation.

In fact, I think professional sports—especially the NBA—have become a little too generous when it comes to retiring jersey numbers. That’s a discussion for another day, but whenever I evaluate whether a player deserves that honor, I generally ask three questions.

1. Did he spend a significant amount of time with the organization?

2. Did he have meaningful playoff success?

3. Did he leave a lasting impact on the game while wearing that uniform?

In LeBron’s case, I think all three answers point toward the same conclusion.

He spent eight seasons with the Lakers, which is hardly a short stopover. He helped deliver an NBA championship in 2020 and reached the playoffs in six of his eight seasons. Yes, by Lakers standards, one Finals appearance with arguably the greatest player of his generation isn’t exactly overwhelming success. Expectations in Los Angeles are simply different than they are almost anywhere else. Still, a championship is a championship.

Then there’s the third question. LeBron became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer while wearing a Lakers jersey. That matters.

Jersey retirements aren’t just about championships. They’re about legacy. They’re about moments that become permanently attached to an organization. Regardless of whether LeBron accomplished more elsewhere, one of the biggest individual milestones in basketball history happened in purple and gold.

Because of that, I have no issue saying his No. 23 belongs in the rafters.

In fact, I think LeBron’s jersey should eventually be retired by all three franchises he played significant basketball for: Cleveland, Miami, and Los Angeles.

But that still doesn’t answer the original question.

Should he have a statue?

That’s where my answer changes. To me, statues exist on an entirely different level. A retired jersey honors an extraordinary player. A statue honors someone who became synonymous with the franchise itself.

Another way to ask this question is this:

Is LeBron James one of the greatest Lakers of all time?

Notice the subtle difference. There’s no debate that LeBron is one of the greatest basketball players who has ever lived. But is he one of the defining figures in Lakers history?

I don’t think so.

That’s not an insult. It’s simply a reflection of what the Lakers represent.

This is the franchise of George Mikan, Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and countless other legends. The Lakers aren’t short on iconic players whose careers became inseparable from the organization itself.

LeBron simply doesn’t occupy that same place in Lakers history. His tenure was excellent. It just wasn’t iconic.

Statues, at least in my opinion, should be reserved for the giants of a franchise—not merely giants of the sport.

Those aren’t always the same thing.

Take Pau Gasol, for example. His jersey deserved to be retired by the Lakers. I fully support that decision. But would I build him a statue? Probably not.

Or look at Zach Randolph in Memphis. He’s one of the most beloved Grizzlies in franchise history, and his number hangs in the rafters. Again, deserved. A statue? That’s a much tougher conversation.

The same principle applies to LeBron. I believe he’ll absolutely have a statue someday. I just don’t think Los Angeles is where it belongs.

If there’s one city where a statue is unquestionably deserved, it’s Cleveland. The Cavaliers’ history cannot be told without LeBron James. He’s Akron’s native son.

He spent more time there than anywhere else. He returned after leaving. Hey MAY do it again! We’ll wait and see on that…

But most importantly, he delivered the franchise’s only NBA championship by leading one of the greatest Finals comebacks the league has ever seen, overcoming a 3-1 deficit against the 73-win Golden State Warriors.

That championship changed Cleveland forever. When people think of Cavaliers basketball, they think of LeBron James. That’s the definition of statue-worthy.

Miami is a little different. LeBron helped build one of the greatest four-year stretches any franchise has ever enjoyed, winning two championships and reaching four straight Finals. Those teams changed basketball forever.

But he was only there for four seasons. Personally, I don’t care if you win four championships in four years. Four seasons simply aren’t enough for me to justify a statue.

If that sounds harsh, consider Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq won a championship in Miami. His number is retired. He’s one of the greatest big men in NBA history.

No statue.

Even Miami’s decision to retire Michael Jordan’s No. 23—despite him never playing for the franchise—illustrates the difference between honoring greatness and immortalizing someone as part of your own history. Pat Riley wanted to recognize Jordan’s impact on basketball as a whole, and I respect that. But imagine erecting a Michael Jordan statue outside Kaseya Center.

It would feel…wrong. Because statues aren’t just about greatness. They’re about belonging.

That’s why I struggle with the idea of LeBron receiving one in Los Angeles. Yes, he won a championship. Yes, he became the league’s all-time leading scorer.

But much of his Lakers tenure also featured thin rosters, inconsistent chemistry, coaching changes, and playoff disappointments. Despite making the postseason six times, the Lakers advanced beyond the first round only three times.

Again, that’s not failure. It’s simply not the standard that defines Lakers immortality. The Lakers have always measured greatness differently because their history demands it.

LeBron absolutely deserves his jersey hanging in the rafters. He absolutely deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He absolutely deserves a statue. I just believe that statue belongs where his impact was greatest.

When people walk past that statue decades from now, they shouldn’t just think of one of the greatest basketball players who ever lived. They should think of someone who forever changed the identity of that franchise. For me, that’s not Los Angeles.

It’s outside Rocket Arena, at 1 Center Court in Cleveland, Ohio. That’s where LeBron James became more than an all-time great. He became the greatest player his franchise has ever known.