Lakers to Honor Pat Riley With Statue Unveiling on Feb. 22
lakers-to-honor-pat-riley-with-statue-unveiling-on-feb-22
The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley on Feb. 22, coinciding with a home matchup against the Boston Celtics, according to the Associated Press.
Riley played parts of six seasons in Los Angeles during a nine-year NBA career, contributing to the club’s 1971-72 championship team that set a league-record 33-game winning streak. After retiring as a player, he joined the organization’s broadcast booth and later became an assistant coach before taking over as head coach in the 1981-82 season.
Across nine seasons on the Lakers’ bench, Riley guided the “Showtime” era to four championships and seven NBA Finals appearances. His teams won at least 50 games every season and topped 60 victories five times, finishing with a 533-194 regular-season record (.733) and a 102-47 postseason mark (.685).
Riley won an additional title as head coach of the Miami Heat in 2006 and has served as the Heat’s president and lead basketball executive for the past three decades. Miami named its court in his honor last October. Now 80, Riley becomes the eighth Lakers figure commemorated with a statue outside the team’s arena, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and longtime broadcaster Chick Hearn.
Source: Hoops Rumors
