Pat Riley’s slicked-back hair and steely stare are headed for bronze.
The Los Angeles Lakers announced that they will unveil a statue of their former head coach on February 23 (PH time) next year, honoring the Hall of Famer alongside franchise greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant outside their downtown arena.
The tribute will take place before LA’s game against their long-time rival, the Boston Celtics.
Riley coached the Lakers from 1981 to 1990 during the “Showtime” era, guiding them to four championships (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) and an impressive 533-194 (.733) regular-season record.
With Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar leading a fast-break attack that transformed the league, Los Angeles also won 102 playoff games over nine seasons, winning at least 50 games in each of Riley’s nine seasons and surpassing 60 victories in five straight years.
Riley, who played for the Purple and Gold from 1970 to 1975 and later became an assistant coach in 1979, earned the Coach of the Year honors during the 1989-90 season. As a player, he was part of the historic 1971-72 squad that set a league-record 33-game winning streak and won the league title.
The 80-year-old also coached the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, winning another championship with Miami in 2006 and currently serves as the team's president.
Back in November, Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss revealed the organization’s plan to build a statue for their iconic former head coach.
“Pat is a Lakers icon. His professionalism, commitment to his craft, and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today… 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,” Buss said.
LA is coming off a season in which they were bounced in the opening round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During the offseason, the team added Marcus Smart and DeAndre Ayton to bolster their roster, which is built around their dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
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