Lakers unveil Pat Riley statue outside Crypto.com Arena
The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a nearly 8-foot, 510-pound bronze statue of pat riley outside Crypto. com Arena on Sunday, revealed before the home game against the Boston Celtics. The statue — showing Riley in a Giorgio Armani suit and a crocodile leather belt — capped a ceremony attended by Lakers and Heat figures and underscored Riley’s long reach across the league.
Pat Riley honored with a showpiece that recalls Showtime signaling
The bronze rendering depicts Riley holding his right fist high, the longtime "Showtime" Lakers signal for Magic Johnson to pass to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the skyhook in the 1980s. The figure is nearly 8 feet tall and weighs 510 pounds, and it stands between the statues of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar outside Crypto. com Arena. Purple-and-gold confetti fell as the statue emerged during the pregame unveiling.
Large roster of guests and Lakers figures on hand
The unveiling drew a lineup of former Lakers and allies: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, A. C. Green, Bob McAdoo, Kurt Rambis, Norm Nixon and Byron Scott were present, and Dwyane Wade attended as well. Michael Douglas spoke at the ceremony about his friendship with Riley, and Riley appeared on the dais alongside Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie Buss hosted; Michael Douglas recalls a red Mercury
Jeanie Buss hosted the ceremony; coverage identifies her both as the Lakers’ acting owner and as the Lakers governor, and notes that her father, Jerry Buss, hired Riley. Michael Douglas said the slicked-back hair he used to play Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street was inspired by Riley, telling a story about riding in Riley’s red Mercury convertible and noticing Riley’s hair didn’t move — which helped shape the Gekko look.
Inscription, halftime ceremony and on-court moments
The base of the statue bears an inscription Riley attributed to his father, Leon 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. " When the statue was revealed Riley smiled and gave a thumbs up; the celebration continued at halftime with Johnson emceeing a midcourt ceremony in front of a sold-out crowd.
At halftime, when Johnson handed him the microphone, Riley said, "I was born to be a Laker in 1970 at the Forum with these guys right here, " while pointing to the former Lakers lined up behind him. He also joked that only James Worthy had shown him "true respect" by wearing a tie and quipped "$2, 000 fine for everybody. "
Riley’s coaching record, Hall of Fame status and his place among Lakers immortals
Riley coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990 and won four championships in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988; the 1988 title followed his famous guarantee of a repeat at the 1987 championship parade. He is a Hall of Fame coach who last roamed the sidelines in 2008 after 24 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat. He currently serves as the Miami Heat’s team president. Riley is the eighth Laker to receive a statue on Star Plaza, joining Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
pat riley reflects on the Heat Big Three, LeBron and dynasty talk
On the day the Lakers honored him, pat riley reflected on his time in Miami with the Big Three. He said, "I thought getting the Big Three — Dwyane [Wade], Chris Bosh and especially LeBron [James] — that we had finally put together what I thought could be a dynasty. It was. I mean, four trips to the finals in a row, two world championships. It was an incredible run. " He added that he "saw something I thought could last 8-10 years, " and that while he wished he had LeBron for "another 6-8 years, " he understood "the business of the NBA is the business of the NBA. "
Riley recruited LeBron James to Miami in 2010 to team with Wade and Chris Bosh, and that Big Three era ran from 2010 to 2014. Over that span Miami posted a. 718 win percentage, trailing only the San Antonio Spurs’. 740, and became the third different franchise to make four consecutive NBA Finals appearances — alongside Bill Russell’s Celtics and Larry Bird’s Celtics and Riley’s own "Showtime" Lakers. The coverage also notes that LeBron left Miami in 2014, returned to Cleveland, and by 2016 secured his third NBA championship, leading Cleveland to its only NBA title in team history and the city’s first professional title since 1964.
Riley, a winner of nine NBA titles across roles as a player, assistant coach, head coach and executive, also addressed changes in sideline dress. He said, "I wish it went back to coat and ties, " criticizing the current coaches' dress code of team-issued polos, quarter-zips and sweaters. The league adopted the more casual wardrobe during the 2020 bubble, and the NBA Coaches Association voted to keep the relaxed look.
Coverage of the Big Three era notes that the 2010 trio’s formation was met with rebuke by many who opposed stars joining free agency, a distinction emphasized against earlier championship cores built through trades or the draft — examples cited include the 2008 Boston Celtics (Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joining Paul Pierce), Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls (drafted Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc), and Riley’s "Showtime" Lakers (drafted Magic Johnson after a prior trade, traded for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and drafted James Worthy, Byron Scott, Michael Cooper and Kurt Rambis). The context also mentions Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons and Larry Bird’s Celtics in that comparison. The 2011 finals will remain a distinct sore spot for the H — unclear in the provided context.
