There are many reasons that a player would get a statue in front of a certain arena upon retirement. Like Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, 20-plus seasons dedicated to one team is sure to get you in consideration for this honor. Numerous NBA championships and dominant stretches like Shaquille O’Neal for the Lakers are another sure-fire way to get your career immortalized with a statue.

Given these parameters, there are a few current players guaranteed to have one erected in their honor by a certain team down the road. Other current players can deliver something their teams have never seen before, an NBA championship, that would earn them a statue in their honor in the future as well.

These are the current NBA players who deserve a statue when they retire.

Current NBA Players Who Deserve A Statue When They RetireCleveland Cavaliers – LeBron James

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As obvious as any player getting a statue in the NBA today is LeBron James getting the one he has earned for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2003, Cleveland made 18-year-old James the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft in one of the most highly anticipated picks in recent history. Fast forward 21 years and James is widely known as the franchise’s greatest player while delivering some of the greatest memories in team history.

James spent his first seven seasons with the Cavaliers from 2004 through 2010, leading them to their first NBA Finals in 2007 as well as capturing two MVP awards in 2009 and 2010. After spurning them for the Heat in 2010 free agency, James returned to Cleveland for the 2014-15 season determined to deliver the championship he promised years earlier.

From 2015 through 2018, James led the Cavaliers to four straight NBA Finals appearances with none being more memorable than 2016. Down 3-1 in the series to the 73-9 Golden State Warriors, James led a comeback that would go down as the greatest upset in NBA playoff history for the Cavaliers’ first championship in team history. When you add in the fact that James is also Cleveland’s all-time leader in points, games played, rebounds, assists, and steals, James’ statue in Cleveland is all but complete.

Denver Nuggets – Nikola Jokic

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It isn’t every day that I am advocating for a player to have a statue built after just one NBA championship but an exception can be made for Serbia’s Nikola Jokic. After being drafted in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft, Nikola Jokic has already cemented himself as the greatest player in Nuggets history in a short nine-year span.

On top of the fact that Jokic has been an All-Star every season since 2019, he also became the team’s first MVP ever in 2021 and 2022. Jokic has already reached fourth all-time in career triple-doubles during his short career, smashing everything we thought we knew about the NBA and their big men as passers, playmakers, and shooters.

In 2022-23, Jokic would do something yet again that no Denver Nuggets player has ever done. In the NBA playoffs, Jokic would average 30.0 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game to lead them to their first berth in the NBA Finals in team history. Then, it would take just five games for Jokic and the Nuggets to defeat the Miami Heat as Jokic earned Finals MVP honors and gave the Nuggets the title of NBA champions for the first time in franchise history.

Golden State Warriors – Stephen Curry

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When it comes to what Stephen Curry has done for the Golden State Warriors and the game of basketball as a whole, there is barely any player with more of an argument for a statue than he does. After having Curry fall into their laps in the 2009 NBA draft thanks to Minnesota’s big mistake, Curry took a few seasons to turn into the superstar we know him as today.

It all started in 2015 when he earned the first of two straight MVP awards in his career. He led the Warriors to their first title since 1975 although fell short of Finals MVP honors. In 2016, Curry would become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history when he led the Warriors to an NBA record 73 wins and another trip to the NBA Finals all while becoming the greatest shooter in basketball history.

In 2017 and 2018, Curry would help lead the Warriors to their second and third championships in four seasons. After a few seasons of diminished play and proclamations that the dynasty was dead, Curry did the unthinkable once again. He led the Warriors to the 2022 NBA championship and finally claimed the Finals MVP that had eluded him for most of his career. He is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and their undisputed GOAT, making the construction of a statue in his honor undeniable when the time comes for him to retire.

Miami Heat – LeBron James (Only After Dwyane Wade Gets His)

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The story of LeBron James and the Miami Heat did not last too long but was as dominant as any era in their team’s history. With Dwyane Wade being the face of the Miami Heat and their franchise’s GOAt, it is only right that Wade gets his before James does as the leader of their first-ever championship teams and franchise leader in most major categories.

Once Wade is honored and taken care of, LeBron James’s statue can enter the conversation. From 2011 through 2014, LeBron led the Heat to four straight trips to the NBA Finals with back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. James also claimed two MVP awards in 2012 and 2013, making him one of the few players in NBA history to win MVP and Finals MVP in the same season in back-to-back seasons.

It is only right that both of these Miami Heat legends get their spot in front of the arena for the memories and moments they gave to the city during the 2010s. Without James, the Heat may still be stuck at one NBA championship. Without Wade, the Heat brand is not as powerful and prevalent as it is in today’s game.

Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Antetokounmpo

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As it stands, the Milwaukee Bucks have no statues standing outside their arena to commemorate a former player’s contributions to the franchise. The only current player with any case to have one erected in the future is Giannis Antetokounmpo for what he has meant to the team over the past 11 seasons.

Giannis is one of the most dominant athletes in Bucks history, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for a share of that title. Giannis has already captured two MVP awards and a Defensive Player of the Year award as a member of the Bucks as well as seven All-Star and seven All-NBA team selections. He also holds the franchise’s all-time lead in points, games played, assists, blocks, and triple-doubles.

Antetokounmpo really cemented his legacy for the team in 2021. For the first time in 50 years, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the promised land as NBA champions. After falling down 2-0 to the Suns in the Finals, Giannis led a comeback that culminated in a 50-point game in Game 6 to close out the series and bring the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to Milwaukee. Considering Fiserv Forum opened in 2018 during the Giannis Era, it is only right that he get a statue in front of the house he built.

Toronto Raptors – Kawhi Leonard

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Just as one championship doesn’t usually get a statue built in your honor, one season with a certain team doesn’t usually earn you the honor either. That is unless, of course, you are Kawhi Leonard of the Toronto Raptors. In 2018, following an ugly divorce from the Spurs, Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Raptors while sending out a franchise fan-favorite in DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio.

Little did the Raptors know that the move they made would be a historical one that would get the proverbial monkey off their backs forever. Leonard would return from injury that season to average 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game with All-Star honors in just 60 games played.

With the regular season behind them, Leonard would go on to have a historical playoff run in which he hit game-winning and series-sealing shots as well as led Toronto to their first NBA Finals appearance in team history. In the Finals, against the juggernaut Warriors who were looking for a three-peat, Leonard would lead the Raptors to their first championship ever with Finals MVP honors averaging 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. After one season, Leonard would leave the Raptors for the Clippers in free agency. There has never been another single season in NBA history like it. Give him his statue.

Does LeBron James Deserve A Statue With The Los Angeles Lakers?

Part of the reason that the topic of player statues has become so popular over the last season has to do with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. During an interview this summer, Buss proclaimed that LeBron James “would absolutely” have a statue erected in his honor in front of the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. This led fans to ask just one question. Why?

Compared to other Lakers greats, LeBron James has not done nearly enough to have a statue built in his honor for his time with the Lakers. Sure, he delivered an NBA championship and broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record in a Lakers uniform, but is that enough to be considered an all-time Lakers great? This is a franchise that has honored Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal, and Magic Johnson with statues.

The whole reason I say no to James having a statue built in his honor for the Lakers is that I feel other Lakers legends deserve it first. Wilt Chamberlain and James Worthy are two names that come to mind before James does as members of the Lakers as does the likes of George Mikan who helped build the Lakers legacy from the ground up. I mean no disrespect to LeBron of course, but let’s get these players their statues first.

Current NBA Players Who Could Have A Statue Built For Them In The Future

Just as there are NBA players who are locks to have statues built honoring their contributions to a specific franchise, there are also players who can earn that honor over the next decade or so depending on what they do on the court. One example of this is Luka Doncic with the Dallas Mavericks. Already a franchise great, Doncic could solidify his chance at a statue with the delivery of an NBA championship to the franchise. He would join Dirk Nowitzki as the only Mavericks player with statues and deservedly so.

Another player who could do this over the next 10 or so seasons is Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns. As one of the few teams without an NBA title in their history, Booker could propel himself to statue status by leading the first Suns team to that title. Booker has been a Suns lifer since 2015-16 and is set to smash all franchise records shortly. An NBA championship would immortalize him in Suns history and make the building of a statue in his honor inevitable.

Other NBA stars that could earn statues include Shai Gilgeous-Alexander if he somehow leads the Thunder to their first title as well as Jayson Tatum in Boston. While the four players we have mentioned have a long way to go to earn these statues, they are not as far out of reach as one may think. Can you think of any other NBA stars who could earn the right to have their contributions immortalized by their franchise with a statue built in their honor?