LOS ANGELES -- "The Captain," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, finally got his due Friday as the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a magnificent statue in honor of the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
The pose for Abdul-Jabbar's statue, the sixth to be erected outside Staples Center and the fourth that is Lakers-related (joining Magic Johnson, Chick Hearn and Jerry West), was a no-brainer. What else could immortalize him than the vision of him raising up to shoot his signature skyhook?
The next Laker in line to receive a statue is up for debate. Will it be Elgin Baylor, who had a Hall of Fame career but finished playing in 1972, seven years before current owner Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team? Will it be Shaquille O'Neal, who is set to have his number retired this season after things got a little frosty between him and the franchise toward the end of his time in L.A.? Neither Baylor nor O'Neal seem as much of a lock to be honored with a memorial as Kobe Bryant does.
While Bryant's statue might seem preordained, the pose in which Bryant will be displayed in certainly isn't an obvious choice. I posed the question on Twitter during Abdul-Jabbar's ceremony and here are the most popular responses of what Bryant's statue should look like (along with a few of my suggestions):
• The "Kobe Face" (underbite) in Mamba mode while pumping his fist
• Standing in triple threat position, eyeing up the defender (a.k.a. the person who is observing the statue), getting ready to score
• Walking off the court with his index finger up in the air after his 81-point game
• Celebrating on the scorer's table after the Game 7 Finals win against Boston
• Jumping up after beating Orlando in the 2009 Finals
• Screaming after the Phoenix playoff game
• Kobe with the fro guarding Kobe 24 (from @AceMoneyChi)
There were a ton of great suggestions on Twitter and no easy answer to go with. Do you go No. 24 Kobe or No. 8 Kobe? Fro or no fro? Have we already seen his statue moment or is it yet to come?
Go ahead and use the comment section to debate.
Dave McMenamin covers the Lakers for ESPNLosAngeles.com. Follow him on Twitter.