Lakers Will Unveil Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Statue; Retire Shaq's Jersey On April 2nd
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and retire the jerseys of Shaquille O'Neal and Jamaal Wilkes during the upcoming season.
The Lakers confirmed the long-planned honors Thursday.
The statue of Abdul-Jabbar will be unveiled in Staples Center's Star Plaza on Nov. 16, joining statues of Magic Johnson, Jerry West and broadcaster Chick Hearn. The NBA's career scoring leader won five of his six championship rings during 14 seasons in Los Angeles.
Wilkes' No. 52 jersey will be retired on Dec. 28, and O'Neal's No. 34 jersey will be retired on April 2.
Wilkes spent seven seasons with the Lakers and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year.
O'Neal spent eight seasons in Los Angeles from 1996-2004, winning three NBA titles.
