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Lakers to honor Pat Riley with statue
Legendary coach Pat Riley will be honored with a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena for his time leading the "Showtime" era Lakers.
LOS ANGELES - Legendary coach and NBA executive Pat Riley will be the latest sports icon to be honored with a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, the Lakers announced on Monday.
"Pat is a Lakers icon," Lakers president Jeanie Buss said in a released statement. "His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today."
The statement continued to read, "My dad recognized Pat’s obsession and ability to take talented players and coalesce them into a championship team. 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."
LOS ANGELES - 1989: Head Coach Pat Riley of the Los Angeles Lakers draws up a play during a timeout for Magic Johnson #32 and Kareem Abdul Jabbar #33 during an NBA game circa 1989 at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 1989 NBAE (Photo b …
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In his tenure with the Men in Purple and Gold, Riley led the Lakers to championships – four as a head coach, one as an assistant coach and one as a player.
Spencer Haywood, Earvin Magic Johnson, Pat Riley Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, and James Worthy attend the Lakers Showtime Reunion on September 12-18, 2022 at the Four Seasons Resort in Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Im …
He then made history in 2006 by leading the Miami Heat to their first title, where he continues to serve as the team’s president and minority owner.
As a head coach, Riley has an overall record of 1,210 wins and 694 losses.
SPRINGFIELD,MA - OCTOBER 13: Former Los Angeles Lakers players pose for a photograph during the 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony on October 13, 2024 at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE …
Riley will celebrate his 80th birthday on March 20, 2025.
An exact date for the unveiling ceremony has not been announced.