Legendary Lakers Coach Pat Riley To Get Statue At Crypto.com Arena

LOS ANGELES, CA — Pat Riley, who led the Lakers to four NBA championships as coach during the "Showtime" era of the 1980s, will be honored by the team with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers announced Monday.

"Pat is a Lakers icon," Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement announcing the tribute. "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, who is currently president of the Miami Heat, won a total of six NBA championships with the Lakers, including one in 1980 as an assistant coach and one as a player in 1972. He coached the Heat to an NBA title in 2006.

He will become the eighth Laker to be immortalized with a statue in Star Plaza outside the Lakers' home arena. Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West also have statues.

Riley's statue is expected to be completed in 2026. An unveiling date has not yet been determined.

Riley was an assistant coach for the Lakers from 1979 to 1981. He took over as coach in the 1981-82 season, and led the team until 1990, amassing a record of 533-194 in the regular season and 102-47 in the playoffs. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1990, an honor he received again in 1993 with the New York Knicks and in 1997 with the Heat.

City News Service