The Los Angeles Lakers have commissioned a statue of legendary coach Pat Riley, the team announced Monday.
Riley won six championships as a Lakers player (1972) and coach (1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988 as head coach, and 1980 as an assistant). The statue, which will be located in Star Plaza outside of Crypto.com Arena, is set to be completed in 2026. The date of the unveiling is to be determined.
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss surprised Riley with the announcement in a video call Monday alongside his wife, Chris Riley, several of his former players (Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambis, A.C. Green and Vlade Divac) and Jerry West’s wife, Karen.
“Pat is a Lakers icon,” Buss said in a news release. “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 will be the eighth Laker honored with a statue, joining Kobe Bryant, Johnson, West, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor and play-by-play announcer Chick Hearn.
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The Lakers were 533-194 (.733) in the regular season and 102-47 (.685) in the playoffs under Riley. Los Angeles won 50-plus games in all nine of his seasons, including 60-plus in five of them. Riley earned Coach of the Year for the 1989-90 season.
Riley is currently the team president and minority owner of the Miami Heat. He previously coached the Heat from 1995 through 2003 and then from 2005 through 2008, winning the championship in 2006. He also coached the New York Knicks from 1991 to 1995. He played nine seasons in the NBA for the San Diego Rockets, Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
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(Photo: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
