LeBron James may be wearing a Philadelphia 76ers uniform these days, but Michael Cooper believes the Lakers still owe him a permanent place in Los Angeles. The five-time NBA champion says James deserves to have his jersey retired when his playing career ends—and he's not ruling out a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, either.

Speaking with Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson for #WORDSWITHSCOOP , Cooper weighed in on whether James' eight seasons in Los Angeles were enough to earn him the same recognition as some of the franchise's biggest legends. For Cooper, who recently experienced having his own No. 21 jersey retired, the answer was straightforward.

"Well, I think when he retires, yeah," Cooper said. "Like a lot of people, Wilt Chamberlain's jersey is retired in different places—Philadelphia and Los Angeles. So, of course. Bron won a championship, so you have to honor him like that."

The statue question, however, comes with a little more nuance.…