LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Pat Riley on Feb. 22, as the Hall of Famer joins the likes of former team greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant in bronze outside their downtown arena. The Lakers will fittingly honor Riley against their long-time rival, the Boston Celtics.
Riley coached the Lakers from from 1981 to 1990 during the team’s “Showtime” era and won four NBA championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). He led the Lakers through one of the most dynamic eras for any team in NBA history. With Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar leading an exciting roster with a groundbreaking fast-break offense, the Lakers went 533-194 (.733) in Riley’s tenure and added 102 playoff victories over nine seasons.
The Lakers won at least 50 games in each of his nine seasons as coach and they won at least 60 games in five straight seasons. He was named NBA Coach of the Year with the Lakers in 1989-90. He played for Los Angeles from 1970 to 1975, and was a team broadcaster before becoming Paul Westhead’s assistant in 1979. Riley was part of the 1971=72 team that won a league-record 33 straight games and won the NBA championship.
The 80-year-old Riley also coached the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. He won another championship as coach with the Heat in 2006 and now serves as their team president. Just last season, the Heat named the court in their downtown arena after Riley in a ceremony attended by many of his former players.
Riley will become the eighth Lakers luminary to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza, which has become a popular tourist attraction for fans of the globally popular franchise. The others are Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and broadcaster Chick Hearn.
Riley’s Lakers tenure alone would be Hall of Fame-worthy, but his lasting impact on basketball and the organizations he’s touched cements his place among the sport’s all-time greats. Riley’s impact on the game and on the Lakers’ success in the 1980s has not gone unnoticed, and now an official date has been released to honor a pioneer in the game outside of Crypto.com Arena.
