INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis basketball legend Oscar Robertson will soon be honored with a statue at his alma mater.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Thursday that the statue of Robertson has been commissioned by the NBA, in partnership with Pacers Sports & Entertainment.
The finished statue will be unveiled at Crispus Attucks High School, where Robertson made history with the Tigers' 1955 basketball team, the first team of all Black players to win a state title in the country.
Robertson won Mr. Basketball honors in 1956 as Crispus Attucks defended their title, becoming the first team in state history to finish a season undefeated.
“It is important to immortalize the impacts Oscar has had on the court and well beyond the game of basketball, and this wonderful tribute will ensure generations to come can celebrate his remarkable legacy,” PS&E CEO Rick Fuson said.
The statue is expected to be unveiled in 2025.
“We are thrilled to join the Pacers in commissioning a statue in recognition of Oscar’s extraordinary impact on the game and his hometown," Silver said.
The statue, created by Indianapolis artist Ryan Feeney, will show Robertson in his NBA All-Star jersey atop a basketball-shaped base that was created by scanning the actual trophy Crispus Attucks won in 1955. The metal for the trophy was sourced from Casting Art & Technology in Cincinnati. Robertson was a three-time All-American at the University of Cincinnati before starting his professional career with the Cincinnati Royals.
Robertson was the first Indiana high school basketball player to be named an NBA All-Star, an honor he earned 12 times in his 14-year career. He also earned All-NBA honors 11 times and was named the league MVP for the 1963-64 season.
Feeney's work should be familiar to Hoosiers. He created the statue of Peyton Manning that stands in front of Lucas Oil Stadium, along with the bronze eagle at the city's 9/11 memorial and the metal piano for the Hoagie Carmichael statue on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington.
“It is an honor to have been chosen to sculpt a lasting tribute of the greatest basketball player ever to come from Indianapolis, Oscar Robertson,” Feeney said.