Pat Riley honored with statue; pat riley remembered outside Crypto.com Arena

pat riley was honored with a nearly 8-foot, 510-pound bronze statue outside Crypto. com Arena on Sunday, unveiled before the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Boston Celtics. The depiction shows Riley in a Giorgio Armani suit with a crocodile leather belt and captures a signature right-fist signal from his "Showtime" Lakers era.

Pat Riley's statue details

The statue is nearly 8 feet tall and weighs 510 pounds. It portrays Riley wearing a Giorgio Armani suit and a crocodile leather belt and shows him holding up his right fist high in the air — the "Showtime" Lakers' signal to have Magic Johnson pass the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for his skyhook throughout the 1980s. The base of the statue carries an inscription: "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. "

Dignitaries on the dais and reactions

Guests seated on the dais for the unveiling included Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dwyane Wade and Lakers acting owner Jeanie Buss. Actor Michael Douglas also sat on the dais and said the slick-backed hair he wore to play Gordon Gekko in the movie "Wall Street" was inspired by Riley. Douglas recounted, "I was with Pat, we went to Miami, we were driving in his red Mercury, a convertible with the top down. I was sitting in the backseat, I was looking at Pat driving and I said, 'His hair's not moving! This is a convertible!' and so I said that's the way I wanted to go [for Gekko]. "

Riley on style and coaching

Riley, who is the Miami Heat's team president and last roamed the sidelines in 2008 after 24 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Knicks and the Heat, said he would still be wearing suits if he were coaching today. He said, "I wish it went back to coat and ties. " He added, "I think an audience wants to see somebody on the sidelines who looks like a leader, dresses like a leader, acts like a leader. " The league adopted the casual wardrobe during the 2020 bubble and has not changed back, with the NBA Coaches Association voting to keep the relaxed look.

Reflections on the Heat run

pat riley also reflected on his time in Miami and his partnership with LeBron James. Riley recruited James to the Heat in 2010, pairing him with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Riley said, "I thought getting the big three -- Dwyane, Chris Bosh and especially LeBron -- that we had finally put together what I thought could become a dynasty. It was, I mean, four trips to the Finals in a row, two world championships was an incredible run. " He added elsewhere that he saw something that could have lasted "eight to 10 years. "

LeBron James and what might have been

Following the Lakers' loss to the Celtics on Sunday, Riley and LeBron James spoke about their time together in Miami and what could have been had the Heat run lasted longer. Riley said, "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?" James, reflecting on his decision to leave Miami after four years, said, "I never said, 'I'm going to go there for four years and decide to [leave]. ' 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. " James spent four years with the Heat and Riley, advancing to four NBA Finals appearances and winning back-to-back titles during that run; when James opted to leave after four years, he went back to Cleveland to try to bring a championship to the franchise that drafted him.

Legacy and coaching record

Riley coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990 and won championships in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988, the last after he famously guaranteed a repeat title at the 1987 championship parade. He is the eighth Laker with a statue on Star Plaza, joining Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Shaquille O'Neal, Jerry West, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Riley also added another championship as coach of the Heat in 2006. At the unveiling he said, "I don't know how I got here, but I got here and now there's a statue out there. And I'm so grateful. I really am. It's beyond gratitude. I'm so grateful to be honored and to be with those who are the giants that I jumped up on their shoulders and they carried me. They did it. And here I'm today. " One of his quoted remarks in the pregame comments was cut off in the context provided and the remainder is unclear in the provided context.

Sunday's ceremony linked Riley's on-court signals, sartorial signature and championship résumé in a single public tribute outside Crypto. com Arena, with players, past teammates and a movie star on hand to mark the moment.