LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A bronze statue of late Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn has been unveiled outside Staples Center.
The 5,000-pound statue that stands nearly 16 feet tall went on display Tuesday before Game 2 of the Lakers' playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It joins other statues of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, former Laker Magic Johnson and boxer Oscar De La Hoya outside the arena. Fans will be able to pose for photos with the sculpture by sitting in an empty chair at the announcer's table next to Hearn.
Several hundred fans joined former Lakers Byron Scott, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and general manager Mitch Kupchak to reminisce about Hearn, who was the voice of the team from 1961-2002.
"It's a fabulous day, a fabulous day," Hearn's wife Marge said. "You know the common expression, this is as good as it gets to have this in your life."
The statue was the idea of team executive Jeanie Buss and Linda Rambis, wife of former Lakers forward Kurt Rambis.
"You can never replace Chick and the outpouring of letters and the sadness when he passed on. We just knew that we wanted people to always stay connected to what Chick stood for because he stood for the fans," Buss said. "We thought that this was a fitting tribute to him.
"It's just a great photo opportunity for people to get close to Chick."
Hearn, who broadcast a record 3,338 consecutive games, was best known for his candor, wit and quick delivery. He died at 85 in 2002.
When he knew a Lakers victory was secure, he would say: "You can put this one in the refrigerator. The door's closed, the light's out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard and the Jell-O is jiggling."
"When most people think about Lakers basketball, they think about Showtime, obviously they think about Magic and Kareem and James, but somewhere down the line they always think about Chick Hearn," Scott said. "Because of the way he brought the game to life. He was just as big in this organization as any player."
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