Lakers to pay homage to three purple-and-gold greats
September 1, 2012 at 3:33 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
Los Angeles, CA, United States (4E Sports) – The Los Angeles Lakers are set to pay tribute to three of their greatest players who ever donned purple-and-gold, retiring the jerseys of Jamaal Wilkes and Shaquille O’Neal and erecting a statue of six-time MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar. The team announced Friday.
The Lakers plan to retire the no.52 jersey of Wilkes during halftime of a regular-season game against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 28. Wilkes, four-time NBA champion and three-time NBA All-Star, was recently inducted to the 2012 Basketball Hall of Fame in April.
O’Neal’s iconic no.34 jersey will also be lifted to the rafters of Staples Center during halftime of Lakers-Mavericks game on April, 2.
O’Neal, perhaps the most dominant center in the history of the NBA, will become the ninth former Laker to have his jersey retired, joining Wilkes (No. 52), Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13), Gail Goodrich (No. 25), Elgin Baylor (No. 22), Johnson (No. 32), James Worthy (No. 42), Abdul-Jabbar (No. 33), and West (No. 44).
The Lakers are also scheduled to pay homage to Abdul Jabbar, who will have a life-sized monument outside the Lakers home arena on November, 16.
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