Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Lakers to celebrate legacy of ex-coach Pat Riley with statue outside arena

The 79-year-old will be the 8th Lakers star to be honoured with a statue outside their downtown arena.

Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers are giving tribute to their former coach Pat Riley by honoring him with a statue outside their downtown arena. Riley is one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time and currently, he is the president of the Miami Heat franchise. Pat Riley remains a Lakers icon and his legacy will be remembered through a statue on Star Plaza.

One of the greatest coaches of all time — The Lakers are proud to announce Pat Riley's legacy will be cemented and his statue will find a home on Star Plaza pic.twitter.com/bHkjarx8CV
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 18, 2024

Los Angeles Lakers made an announcement on Monday that the franchise will make a statue in Star Plaza for the former coach. Pat Riley has left a great legacy as a player and as a coach. The 79-year-old will be the 8th Lakers star to be honored with a statue outside their downtown arena. He will join greats like Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and broadcaster Chick Hearn.

An all-time greatest coach in the NBA during 1980s

Pat Riley is the biggest name in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers who won four championships with the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s. He is the one who won championship rings with Los Angeles as a player and an assistant coach. Riley played for the side from 1970 to 1975. In 1979, Riley become Westhead’s assistant.

In honor of Pat Riley getting a statue from the Lakers… let's begin a thread on his coaching greatness…

First up… that WILD press conference where he was announced as the Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.. well, sort of…. pic.twitter.com/VwzlHxRcNR
— The Sporting Page (@sportingpage) November 18, 2024

Two years of experience with Westhead helped Riley to take charge of the Lakers in 1981. This is how his coaching era started in the NBA. The Lakers become a dominant force and a top-class side during this era. Los Angeles posted 533-194 during his tenure and won 102 playoff games over nine seasons. This is the phase where we witnessed Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s performances.

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Lakers owner and current coach celebrated Riley’s legacy with statue announcement

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss talked about Pat Riley and told how the former coach added a big value to the franchise. He said in a statement, “Pat is a Lakers icon. His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today.“

“My dad recognized Pat’s obsession and ability to take talented players and coalesce them into a championship team. The style of basketball Pat and the Lakers created in the 80s is still the blueprint for the organization today: an entertaining and winning team,” Jeanie Buss added.

The current Lakers coach JJ Redick appreciated the franchise for giving a grand honour to Pat Riley and called it “well deserved.” “He’s a legend in the game of basketball, and obviously he did a lot for this franchise,” Redick said. “He’s had such an impact on the game and every franchise he’s been with, especially the Lakers, so I’m very happy for him.”

Pat Riley is now the Miami Heat team’s president. After setting new records at the Lakers, he joined the New York Knicks for four seasons. He became the head coach of the Miami Heat in 1995 and won another NBA title in 2006 during the second stint.

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.