Heat president Pat Riley ‘can’t believe’ Lakers will honor him with statue

Let’s put things in context to understand what Pat Riley really means to NBA basketball. The Heat owner has been an important figure in almost 25% of all NBA Finals appearances, whether it has been as an executive, a player or a coach. None can refute his influence on Miami’s evolution, but his time in Los Angeles is also unparalleled. 

This is why, to honor his legacy, the purple and gold franchise will build a statue for him outside the Crypto.com Arena. “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,” the L.A. club first revealed on their social media.

However, not until Wednesday could be finally see a clip of Pat’s reaction, just as Magic Johnson was delivering the news to his former coach. In the video, Riley holds his face in disbelief: “I’m just a kid from Schenectady, New York, and here I am going to have a statue with the Lakers… I can’t believe it.”

Lakers announce they will build a statue in honor of Pat Riley 👏 pic.twitter.com/3cf6TAbAC3

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 18, 2024

Moments later, the Hall of Famer posted his own statement through the Heat’s socia media accounts. “One of my first messages to the team was ‘The journey of a thousand miles starts with our first step. Where it takes you, is up to us.’ And it took us to five championships in the 80’s with the Showtime Lakers,” Riley wrote.

“It was a hell of a journey and the fact that it’s ending up with the arrival of a statue is mind blowing to me. I’d like to thank Jeanie and the entire Buss family for this honor,” he concluded.

Upon learning of the Lakers’ announcement, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra also praised his boss. “Those Showtime Lakers are iconic,” the successful tactician reflected on Riley’s influence on professional basketball during a press conference this week.

“The image of a professional basketball coach, he just totally changed it in the 80s and made it something people thought was, like, ‘Hey, that’d be really cool to do,’” Spoelstra added, knowingly that Pat continued to leave his mark wherever he went after his time in Los Angeles.

Lakers owner and and head coach both delivered praise to Riley as they announced his upcoming statue at the start of the week

Pat Riley will become the eighth purple and gold icon to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza, which is right outside the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. This Monday, the organization confirmed that they wish to celebrate the head coach who won four titles in the 80s and two others as a player and assistant.

“Pat is a Lakers icon,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said this week. “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 executive believes that today’s Lakers are still feeding off from what they achieved during Riley’s era. “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,” she concluded her statement.

Rookie Lakers coach JJ Redick, who many around the purple and gold organization have compared him to Riley for his intensity and charm, also applauded the club’s initiative to commemorate one of the greatest tacticians of all time.

“Deserved,” he said, before adding that he recently watched the Hulu documentary Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers, in which Pat is a part of. “He’s a legend in the game of basketball. And obviously did a lot for this franchise. … So I’m very happy for him. Well deserved.”