The Lakers Will Honor Pat Riley with a Statue
The Los Angeles Lakers announced the unveiling of a statue in honor of former coach Pat Riley on February 22. The ceremony will take place in the plaza in front of the stadium, where statues of team legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant already stand.
The choice of opponent for this tribute is significant, as the Lakers will face the Boston Celtics, a historic opponent.
Riley coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990, during the iconic “Showtime” era, achieving four NBA championships (1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988).
With a team led by Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, and characterized by its exciting fast-break offense, the Lakers had a 533-194 (.733) record during Riley’s time, adding 102 playoff wins in nine seasons.
In each of his nine seasons as coach, the Lakers won at least 50 games, and in five consecutive seasons they surpassed 60 victories. Riley was recognized as the NBA Coach of the Year in the 1989-90 season.
Before his successful coaching career, Riley played for the Lakers from 1970 to 1975 and was a commentator for the team. He joined the coaching staff as an assistant to Paul Westhead in 1979.
Riley, 80, also coached the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, a team with which he won another championship in 2006 and where he currently serves as president.
Last season, the Heat dedicated their stadium court to Riley in a ceremony attended by many of his former players.
Riley will become the eighth figure of the Lakers to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza, an emblematic place for the franchise’s fans. The other honorees are Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and commentator Chick Hearn.
