The Los Angeles Lakers honored former coach Pat Riley during a ceremony outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 22. The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of a bronze statue of the legendary coach’s likeness.
It’s the 15th statue put up outside the arena, joining a list of notable figures from Lakers history, including Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Riley’s statue is nearly eight feet tall and weighs 510 pounds and is located between the statues of Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson, his two star players on the ‘Showtime’ Lakers of the 1980s.
Riley did not have head coaching experience when he was promoted to head coach of the Lakers during the 1981-82 season. But Riley became the perfect fit for the Lakers during the 1980s and the ‘Showtime’ Lakers went to seven NBA Finals under Riley, winning four championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).
“This right here is off the charts of being honored,” Riley told CBS Los Angeles.”I am just so privileged to have this here.”
Here’s a look at the statue:
Pat Riley coaching record
Riley spent 24 years as a head coach and compiled 1,381 regular-season and playoff victories, which ranks fifth in NBA history. He has a regular season record of 1,210-694 (.636 winning percentage). In addition to his four championships with the Lakers, Riley won another title with the Miami Heat in 2006 and has added two more rings as an executive.
Is Pat Riley in the Basketball Hall of Fame?
Riley was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.