Los Angeles Lakers paid tribute to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Friday, unveiling a statue of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in his trademark sky-hook pose outside their Staples Center arena.

Abdul-Jabbar became the sixth Los Angeles sports figure memorialised with a statue outside the downtown arena, joining fellow NBA greats Magic Johnson and Jerry West, the NHL’s “Great One” Wayne Gretzky, boxer Oscar de la Hoya and long-time Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn.

“I’m very glad we got here before the pigeons got to it,” quipped Abdul-Jabbar after he pulled the cord to unveil the nearly 16-foot tall likeness.

“You should have had the first statue,” said Johnson, who was on hand for the unveiling along with Pat Riley, who coached both Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar on the “Showtime” era Lakers who won five titles in the 1980s.

“It was on your back that we’re here at Staples Center,” Johnson said.

Abdul-Jabbar, a towering 2.18m centre who changed his name from Lew Alcindor after leading Milwaukee to the 1971 NBA title, scored 38,387 points in 1,560 games over a 20-year NBA career and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player six times.

Since retiring from the NBA in 1989, he has focused on raising awareness of African-American history and campaigning for socio-economic justice.

Civil rights activist Richard Lapchick, whose father, Joe, coached the New York Knicks, congratulated Abdul-Jabbar “not only for the statue but for a life well-lived.”

While the ceremony prior to the Lakers’ game against the Phoenix Suns recalled some of the Lakers’ greatest glory days, Abdul-Jabbar voiced the hope that LA’s current star-studded but struggling line-up could emerge from the turmoil of a controversial coaching change and establish themselves as title contenders.

The crowd cheered as he urged the Lakers to beat the Suns.

Kobe Bryant and company then obliged, capping Abdul-Jabbar’s big night with a 114-102 victory.