The Lakers Will Honor Pat Riley with a Statue
Los Angeles Lakers will announce a statue of former coach Pat Riley on February 22. The Hall of Fame member will join team legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant in bronze, in front of their arena in the city center.
The tribute to Riley will be against the Boston Celtics, their historic rival.
Riley coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990 during the team’s “Showtime” era, achieving four NBA championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).
With Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar leading an exciting team and an innovative fast-break offense, the Lakers had a 533-194 (.733) record during Riley’s tenure, adding 102 playoff wins in nine seasons.
The Lakers won at least 50 games in each of their nine seasons under his direction, and achieved at least 60 victories in five consecutive seasons. He was named NBA Coach of the Year with the Lakers in 1989-90.
Riley played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1970 to 1975 and was a commentator for the team before becoming Paul Westhead’s assistant in 1979. Riley was part of the 1971-72 team that won a league record of 33 consecutive games and the NBA championship.
At 80 years old, Riley also coached the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. He won another championship as a coach with the Heat in 2006 and currently serves as the team’s president.
Recently, the Heat named the court of their downtown arena in Riley’s honor at a ceremony attended by many of their former players.
Riley will become the eighth Lakers figure to be honored with a statue at 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 announcer Chick Hearn.
