Lakers honor Pat Riley with bronze statue outside Crypto.com Arena
lakers-honor-pat-riley-with-statue
The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled an almost 8-foot, 510-pound bronze statue of Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley on Sunday, placing the tribute on Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena ahead of the team’s game against the Boston Celtics.
The sculpture shows Riley in a Giorgio Armani suit, a crocodile leather belt and his right fist raised—the gesture that signaled Magic Johnson to feed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for a skyhook during the “Showtime” era. The piece makes Riley the eighth Laker immortalized with a statue, joining Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West, Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar.
Riley, now the Miami Heat’s team president, coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990 and captured championships in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. “I don’t know how I got here, but I got here and now there’s a statue out there,” he told the crowd. “I’m so grateful.”
The base of the monument carries an inscription from Riley: “There will come a time when you are challenged, and when that time comes, you must plant your feet. You must stand firm. You must make a point. About who you are, what you do, and where you come from. When that time comes, you do it.”
Guests on the dais included Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Dwyane Wade, Lakers acting governor Jeanie Buss and actor Michael Douglas, who said Riley’s slicked-back hair inspired the look of Gordon Gekko in the film “Wall Street.”
Riley on coaching attire and current Lakers figures
Speaking with reporters, Riley lamented the NBA’s shift to casual sideline clothing that began in 2020. “I wish it went back to coat and ties,” he said. “An audience wants to see somebody on the sidelines who looks like a leader.”
He also reflected on recruiting LeBron James to Miami in 2010, calling the Heat’s four straight Finals trips and two titles “an incredible run” and adding, “I’m going to be selfish here and say I wish I had him for another six or eight years.”
Riley offered support for current Lakers coach JJ Redick, describing him as “fiery” and “tough as nails,” and praised the roster headlined by Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and James. “I think JJ will be a great coach for it,” he said.
Source: ESPN
