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Lakers to honor Pat Riley with statue
Legendary coach Pat Riley will be honored with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena for his time leading the "Showtime" era Lakers.
LOS ANGELES - On Sunday, the Lakers will unveil a statue honoring legendary player, coach and executive Pat Riley outside Crypto.com Arena at Star Plaza.
What we know:
Riley joins a lineup of franchise icons immortalized outside the arena — and makes history as the first person recognized strictly for coaching.
Few figures have shaped the modern NBA like Riley.
He rose to prominence as the architect of the Lakers’ high-octane "Showtime" era in the 1980s, guiding Los Angeles to four NBA championships. He later delivered the Miami Heat’s first NBA title and has won five championships as a head coach overall.
LOS ANGELES - 1989: Head Coach Pat Riley of the Los Angeles Lakers draws up a play during a timeout for Magic Johnson #32 and Kareem Abdul Jabbar #33 during an NBA game circa 1989 at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstei … (Getty Images)
At 80 years old, the NBA icon isn't slowing down anytime soon. He remains one of basketball’s most influential executives, serving as president of the Heat.
His résumé is as decorated as any coach in league history. Riley was named Coach of the Year three times with three different franchises — the Lakers (1989-90), New York Knicks (1992-93) and Heat (1996-97). He earned 11 Coach of the Month honors between 1983 and 2006.
Over his coaching career, Riley led his teams to at least 50 wins in 17 seasons, including seven 60-win campaigns.
Riley was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Where to watch
- Time: 12:30 p.m. PT.
- TV Channel: Spectrum SportsNet.
- Streaming: Spectrum SportsNet+ (available on the NBA app).
The ceremony will become available on the Lakers' website after the ceremony.
The backstory:
Born in Schenectady, New York, Riley grew up in a sports-driven family. His father, Leon Riley, played Major League Baseball before becoming a minor league manager. His brother, Lee Riley, played defensive back in the NFL for the New York Giants, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles.
At Linton High School, Riley helped lead his team to a victory over Power Memorial, then led by Lew Alcindor — later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In 1977, Linton renamed its gym in Riley’s honor and inducted him into its hall of fame three years later.
Riley went on to star at Kentucky under legendary coach Adolph Rupp. A two-time All-SEC selection, he helped lead the Wildcats — known as "Rupp’s Runts" — to the 1966 NCAA championship game, where they fell to Texas Western. Kentucky later retired his jersey.
Despite never playing college football, Riley was selected in the 11th round of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He ultimately chose basketball, going seventh overall in the 1967 NBA Draft to the San Diego Rockets.
Riley played his first three seasons for San Diego and went onto play five seasons for the Lakers, where he won a championship with the Lakers in 1972. He finished his career with the Phoenix Suns, who were the Western Conference Champions.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Miami Heat’s official team biography of Pat Riley, along with historical NBA records and franchise archives detailing his playing, coaching and executive career.