Lakers to honor Pat Riley with statue outside arena
Expect the Los Angeles Lakers to honor former coach Pat Riley with a statue placed outside the team’s downtown arena.
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LAKERS TO HONOR RILEY IN STAR PLAZA TO COMMEMORATE ‘SHOWTIME’ TEAMS
Expect the Lakers to honor Riley with a statue in Star Plaza to commemorate the former coach’s “Showtime Teams” of the 1980s.
Moreover, the team announced on Monday will immortalize the 79-year-old coach.
It was him who handled the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and James Worthy in the ’80s.
Riley won four championships with Los Angles due to his “Showtime” Lakers teams aside from his titles as a player and assistant coach.
He played for Los Angeles from 1970 to 1975, became a team broadcaster.
Riley would later was promoted as Paul Westhead’s assistant in 1979.
He took over as Lakers coach in 1981, as he steered the team to a 533-194 (.733) record in the regular season and 102 playoff wins.
JEANIE BUSS PRAISES RILEY AS A ‘LAKERS ICON’
Moreover, team owner Jeanie Boss praised Riley as a “Lakers icon.”
“Pat is a Lakers icon. His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the leagye today,” Buss said.
“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,” she added.
Riley becomes the eighth Lakers luminary to be honored with a statue in Star Plaza.
He follows Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and broadcaster Chick Hearn.
CURRENT COACH REDDICK CALLS RILEY A ‘LEGEND’
Furthermore, current Lakers coach JJ Reddick called Riley a “legend” and the tributes to him are “deserved.”
“He’s a legend in the game of basketball. And obviously did a lot for the franchise,” Reddick said.
“So I’m very happy for him. Well deserved,” he added.
Moreover, the current coach confirmed watching the Hulu documentary “Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers,” which featured interviews with Riley.
Riley’s currently a team executive for the past three decades and a former coach of the Miami Heat.
However, his NBA roots will always be traced with the Lakers.
He also coached the New York Knicks for four seasons before taking over as Heat team president and coach in 1995.
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