The Los Angeles Lakers will unveil a statue of former coach Pat Riley on Feb. The Lakers will fittingly honor Riley against their long-time rival, the Boston Celtics. He led the Lakers through one of the most dynamic eras for any team in NBA history.
22, as the Hall of Famer joins the likes of former team greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant in bronze outside their downtown arena. With Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar leading an exciting roster with a groundbreaking fast-break offense, the Lakers went 533-194 (.733) in Riley’s tenure and added 102 playoff victories over nine seasons.
Riley coached the Lakers from from 1981 to 1990 during the team’s “Showtime” era and won four NBA championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).
Key Factors
The Lakers won at least 50 games in each of his nine seasons as coach and they won at least 60 games in five straight seasons. He was named NBA Coach of the Year with the Lakers in 1989-90. The 80-year-old Riley also coached the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. He won another championship as coach with the Heat in 2006 and now serves as their team president.
