LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a bronze statue of Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley on Feb. 22, 2026, prior to a home game against the rival Boston Celtics, the team announced on Aug. 14, 2025.
The tribute will be installed in Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, where monuments to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and other franchise icons already stand. Riley will become the eighth Lakers figure honored in the plaza.
Riley, 80, guided the Lakers from 1981 to 1990, steering the “Showtime” era to four NBA championships (1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988). Under his leadership, Los Angeles posted a 533-194 regular-season record (.733) and added 102 postseason victories. The club won at least 50 games in each of his nine seasons on the bench and surpassed the 60-win mark in five consecutive campaigns. He earned NBA Coach of the Year honors for the 1989-90 season.
Before moving into coaching, Riley played for the Lakers from 1970 to 1975 and later served as a team broadcaster. He joined Paul Westhead’s staff as an assistant in 1979 and was part of the 1971-72 squad that set a league record with 33 straight wins on its way to an NBA title.
Riley later coached the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, winning another championship with Miami in 2006. He currently serves as the Heat’s team president. Last season, Miami named the playing surface at its downtown arena in his honor.
Source: ESPN
