EL SEGUNDO — The Lakers announced on Monday morning that they have commissioned a statue of Pat Riley to join Lakers legends in Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, immortalizing the coach who led the “Showtime” teams of the 1980s to four of their five NBA titles in that decade.
The statue is set to be completed in 2026, with the team to announce an official unveiling date at a later time.
Franchise governor Jeanie Buss shared plans with Riley on Monday over a video call alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper, A.C. Green, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, James Worthy, Vlade Divac, Karen West and Chris Riley.
“Pat is a Lakers icon,” Buss said in a statement. “His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today. 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.”
Riley won six NBA championships with the Lakers: four as their head coach (1982, ’85, ’87, ’88), one as an assistant coach (’80) and one as a player (1972).
“Congratulations to, in my opinion, the greatest coach to ever grace the NBA!,” Johnson posted on X (formerly Twitter). “A huge thank you to Jeanie Buss for making this moment possible. All of his Showtime players are thrilled to see this well-deserved statue come to life!”
Riley will become the eighth Laker to have a statue outside of their home arena, joining Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and broadcaster Chick Hearn.
“Deserved,” current Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the team’s practice on Monday. “He’s a legend in the game of basketball. And obviously did a lot for this franchise. Before the season, with my family, we watched the Hulu doc [“Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers”]. And he was featured prominently in that. But he’s a legend. He’s had such an impact on the game and every franchise that he’s been with especially the Lakers, so I’m very happy for him. Well-deserved.”
The 79-year-old Riley has been part of the Miami Heat as a coach and executive for the past three decades, but his NBA roots are planted firmly with the Lakers. He played for the team from 1970 to 1975, and he was a team broadcaster before becoming Paul Westhead’s assistant in 1979.
He took over as head coach in 1981 and led the Lakers through one of the most dynamic eras for any team in NBA history. With Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar leading an exciting team with a groundbreaking fast-break offense, the Lakers went 533-194 (.733) during Riley’s tenure and added 102 playoff victories over nine mostly outstanding seasons (seven Finals appearances).
Riley went on to coach the New York Knicks for four seasons (reaching the 1994 NBA Finals) before becoming the Heat’s team president and coach in 1995. He has remained Miami’s president ever since, and he won another NBA title in 2006 during his two stints as the Heat’s head coach.
The Lakers announce that they’ll build a Pat Riley statue outside of Crypto.com Arena
— Khobi Price (@khobiprice.bsky.social) 2024-11-18T19:45:59.163Z