Sunday was a memorable day for Pat Riley, the legendary former head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, as his statue was unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena. This honor places him among the elite figures who have shaped the franchise's storied history.
The ceremony took place three hours before the Lakers faced off against the Boston Celtics. Fans and basketball enthusiasts gathered to witness the unveiling of the statue, marking Riley as the first Lakers coach to receive such an accolade.
Riley, affectionately known as "The Godfather," boasts an illustrious career that spans decades. He spent nearly two decades with the Lakers, both as a player and a coach, and has been with the Miami Heat for three decades. During his time with the Lakers, Riley led the team to six NBA championships, including a dominant stretch where they secured three titles in four years from 1984 to 1988.
As the Lakers' head coach, Riley compiled an impressive 533-194 (.733) regular-season record, along with a 102-47 record in the postseason. Over his nine-season tenure, he consistently led the team to 50-plus wins each year, including five seasons with 60 or more victories. His coaching prowess earned him the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in the 1989-90 season, the first of three such honors in his career.
Riley's journey in professional basketball began with the San Diego Rockets in Southern California. Now, his legacy is cemented alongside other Lakers legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chick Hearn, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Kobe Bryant, all of whom have been immortalized with statues in Star Plaza.