"Why water it down?" - Sam Smith says Michael Jordan's statue makes Phil Jackson's unnecessary

Sports teams throughout history have found various ways to honor personalities who have elevated their standing. Among the most common practices of recognizing standout athletes is unveiling statues in their honor.

NBA cities have many statues dedicated to key figures, usually located outside official team arenas. These statues not only celebrate what these luminaries have achieved but have also become prominent landmarks in the places where they stand.

One of the most notable of these NBA statues is of Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan . Titled "The Spirit," the figure of His Airness was unveiled on November 1, 1994, outside the United Center on the same day the Bulls retired Jordan's iconic No. 23 jersey.

The statue, which has since been moved to the arena's atrium, features the NBA great soaring through the air for a dunk, with his legs spread and the ball extended in his right hand.

"The Spirit" is the only one so far of a Bulls personality found at the United Center, although there have been conversations over the years of adding to it, particularly for that of champion coach Phil Jackson .

The Zen Master was part of the Bulls for 12 seasons. He started out as an assistant before becoming the head coach, guiding the team to six NBA titles in the 1990s, which came in two three-peats. For what he has achieved during his time in Chicago, observers believe Jackson deserves to be immortalized by the Bulls with a statue.

For longtime Bulls columnist Sam Smith , while he agrees that Jackson deserves a statue at Chi-Town, he understands why they are not in a hurry, if at all, to honor the legendary coach with his own statue.

Smith made his thoughts known in an interview with NBA Radio's David Shepard, emphasizing that having Jordan's statue already encapsulates what the Bulls represent and adding to it would hardly change that.

"The Bulls have made the point and I kind of like it in the sense that they got the number one guy of all time, Jordan, and they had a statue for Jordan. And why water it down? And it's not watering it down to say you have a statue for Phil Jackson. They've honored him, you know, retired his name or jersey number, whatever," Smith said .

"There's no sports statue that's such a worldwide important piece as the Jordan statue. So I kind of agree with that even though I think you know Phil is deserving and all this stuff and he's great coach, but, you know, the fact that they've made that Jordan statue unique and kept it as it is and because of who he is, I think it's appropriate to keep it at one statue," he added.

While there is no official word yet on whether the Bulls will honor Jackson with a statue, the Los Angeles Lakers have announced plans to unveil a bronze likeness of the coach at Crypto.com Arena next year.

Jackson, now 81, coached the Lakers for 11 seasons in the late 1990s to the 2000s with teams featuring Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant , and steered them to five championships, including three straight from 2000 to 2002.

The coach's Lakers statue is set to be unveiled on April 9, 2027, ahead of their home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In 1999, Jackson was honored by the Bulls with a commemorative banner in their rafters, and in 2024, he was inducted into the inaugural class of their Ring of Honor.

Moreover, players Phil coached and fans in the Windy City appreciated how he battled and brought out the best in the Bulls teams he led, making him a true Chicago legend, with or without a statue.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.