{
  "id": 17431814,
  "title": "‘If that were to happen…’: LeBron James’ potential statue for Lakers receives verdicts from Magic Johnson’s ex-teammate",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/if-that-were-to-happen-lebron-james-potential-statue-for-lakers",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-31T16:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/were-happen-lebron-james-potential-163000007.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Michael Cooper, former teammate of LeBron James, has expressed his belief that the basketball legend deserves a statue outside Crypto.com Arena. Cooper, who played for the Lakers alongside James, noted that James' eight-season tenure with the team, which included winning one NBA championship, several major records, and breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record, warranted such a tribute. Cooper acknowledged that while James did not match the achievements of other Lakers legends like Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Magic Johnson, his impact on the franchise was significant. Kendrick Perkins also shared a similar sentiment, hinting that the four-time champion should have his jersey retired upon his departure.",
  "summary": "Five-time NBA champion Michael Cooper has stated that LeBron James deserves a statue outside Crypto. com Arena as his legendary stint with the Purple and Gold came to an end this offseason.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "SB Nation",
        "title": "LeBron James looked all 41 years of his life on these highlight plays",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/lebron-james-looked-all-41-years-of-his-life-on-these-highlight-plays",
        "published": "2026-10-29T19:38:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}