On a day when the Lakers honored Pat Riley with a statue, the mastermind behind “Showtime” basketball took a moment to reflect on another chapter of his storied career-his time with the Miami Heat and the legendary LeBron James.
Reflecting on LeBron's departure from Miami in 2014, Riley opened up about the end of a remarkable era not just for the Heat, but for the NBA as a whole.
“When we brought together the Big Three-Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and especially LeBron-I believed we had crafted a potential dynasty. And for a while, it was exactly that.
Four consecutive trips to the finals and two championships. It was an extraordinary ride.
“As a coach and architect of that team, I envisioned a dynasty lasting 8-10 years. But as I mentioned in my speech, the NBA is a business.
Players have the freedom to make their own choices, and LeBron chose to return to Cleveland. He won a title there, and I wish him nothing but success.
But, selfishly, I wish I had him for another 6-8 years. It would’ve been amazing, but we’ll never know, will we?”
Riley’s reflections spark the imagination about what might have been if LeBron, now in his record-setting 23rd NBA season, had stayed in Miami. After leaving the Heat, LeBron led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship in 2016, breaking a long-standing title drought for the city.
Yet, before that triumph, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh delivered some of the most electrifying basketball the league has ever seen. When they joined forces in 2010, it was a controversial move, criticized by some for the way stars were teaming up through free agency to chase championships.
This was a shift from previous championship teams, which were often built through trades and the draft. Think of the 2008 Celtics with Garnett and Allen joining Pierce, or Riley’s own ‘Showtime’ Lakers. The Miami Big Three, however, redefined team-building, and Riley, a nine-time NBA champion across various roles, embraced the change.
From 2010 to 2014, the Heat's Big Three left an indelible mark on the NBA. Their .718 win percentage was second only to the Spurs during that period, and they became just the third franchise to reach four straight NBA Finals, following the Celtics and Lakers.
While the 2011 Finals were a setback, the Heat rebounded by winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. LeBron’s dominance during this time was undeniable, earning him consecutive regular-season and Finals MVPs, as he averaged 28.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.8 steals in 46 playoff games.
The 2012-13 season was particularly memorable, highlighted by a 27-game win streak, the second-longest in NBA history, only behind the 1971-72 Lakers-a team Riley was also a part of.
But as Riley noted, the NBA is a business, and the Big Three eventually parted ways just as they had come together.
Since then, Riley and LeBron have found their way back to the Finals, including a notable face-off in the 2020 NBA bubble. Riley continues to lead Miami's basketball operations, while LeBron, now the league’s all-time leading scorer, is contemplating the final chapters of his legendary career.
Though we’ll never know what might have been had LeBron stayed in Miami, Riley’s sentiments remind us of the exceptional basketball we witnessed. Regardless of how one feels about stars teaming up, those years in Miami were truly special, offering fans a glimpse of basketball at its finest.