Pat Riley and LeBron James: pat riley reminisce on what could've been
The story of the NBA cannot be told without mentioning LeBron James and pat riley. On Sunday night the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Boston Celtics, and Riley was honored with a statue unveiling before the game.
Pat Riley honored with statue
Before the Lakers hosted the Celtics, Pat Riley was recognized with the unveiling of a statue that commemorates his contributions as head coach of the "Showtime" Lakers. The new statue stands between the existing statues of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. A message from the Lakers on February 22, 2026 read, "A Lakers icon forever enshrined. Congrats, Coach. "
Before the Lakers–Celtics game
On Sunday night the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Boston Celtics. The statue ceremony took place before the game. Following the Lakers' loss to the Celtics that same night, Riley and LeBron James exchanged reflections and had nothing but good things to say about one another, and they also looked back on their time together in Miami.
LeBron James on Miami and 2014
LeBron James spent four years with the Heat and with Riley, advancing to four NBA Finals appearances and winning back-to-back titles during that run. James' run in Miami ended in 2014 after four years and two NBA championships. When he left after those four years, he went back to Cleveland to bring a championship to the franchise that drafted him. James said, "I never said, 'I'm going to go there for four years and decide to [leave], '” and added, "That's just how the cards was played. But it's human nature to look back and say, 'Yeah, what could have been?' That’s part of life. The four years that we had was great. Was able to pick up two chips. We lost two of them, unfortunately, but a lot of great memories. A lot of great time there. It would have been interesting to see what could have happened. "
Riley on the Big Three and dynasty hopes
Riley said he understood the allure of James returning home, but he still wonders what might have been if Miami's version of the Big Three had continued. "I thought getting the Big Three — Dwyane [Wade], Chris Bosh and especially LeBron — that we had finally put together what I thought could become a dynasty, [and] it was, " Riley said. He noted the concrete achievements: "Four trips to the Finals in a row, two world championships, it was an incredible run. " Riley added that, as someone who thought about building that team, he saw something that could have lasted "eight to 10 years. "
Riley's coaching championships and legacy
Riley reflected on the broader sweep of his coaching career as context for his Miami comments. As head coach of the Lakers, Riley led that franchise to four championships in the 1980s and won back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988. He later added another championship as coach of the Heat in 2006. After the Lakers' loss to the Celtics on Sunday, Riley said of James, "I wish him nothing but the best, but I'm going to be selfish here and say I wish had him for another six or eight years. Would have been great. But we'll never know, will we?"
Following the postgame exchanges, both Riley and James left on amicable terms, sharing memories of a four-year run in Miami that produced four Finals appearances and two championships and raising the question of what might have been had that partnership continued beyond 2014.
