Pat Riley receiving huge honor from Lakers
Sep 22, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley address reporters during a press conference at AmericanAirlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers will be honoring Pat Riley in a big way.
The Lakers announced on Monday that they will be building Riley a statue that will go in Star Plaza. Star Plaza is an area outside of Crypto.com Arena — the Lakers’ home arena — where there are already 12 statues in place.
One of the greatest coaches of all time — The Lakers are proud to announce Pat Riley's legacy will be cemented and his statue will find a home on Star Plaza pic.twitter.com/bHkjarx8CV
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 18, 2024
Of the 12 statues already in Star Plaza:
– 7 are Lakers-related: Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant and Chick Hearn (announcer).
– 4 are Kings-related: Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Dustin Brown and Bob Miller (announcer).
– 1 is boxing-related: Oscar De La Hoya
Riley will join West and Johnson as former Lakers coaches to be honored with a statue, though Riley was much more known for his coaching of the team than the other men.
The 79-year-old played for the Lakers from 1970-1975 and coached them from 1979-1990 (his first few years were as an assistant). The Lakers won five championships total with Riley on the staff — four as a head coach and one as an assistant.
Riley has been with the Miami Heat since 1995. The Heat announced last month that they are dedicating the name of their court to Riley.