The Los Angeles Lakers announced that former head coach Pat Riley would be honored with a statue in Star Plaza outside of Crypto.com Arena. Riley, of course, was the head coach of the Lakers during the ‘Showtime’ era of the 1980s, leading the team to four NBA Championships behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Riley took over the Lakers during the 1981-82 season and immediately changed the fortunes of the franchise. He became iconic not only for his intense coaching style and innovation, but also his style, wearing designer suits on the sideline with his signature slicked back hair.
It is unarguable that Riley is one of the greatest coaches, not just in Lakers history, but in NBA history and is more than deserving of being honored in this way by the Lakers. And Magic Johnson himself would take to social media to congratulate his former coach on his accomplishment:
Congratulations to, in my opinion, the greatest coach to ever grace the NBA!
A huge thank you to Jeanie Buss for making this moment possible. All of his Showtime players are thrilled to see this well-deserved statue come to life! https://t.co/u0RK3oU9Hn
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 18, 2024
As Magic said, the statue is well deserved as Riley truly made an impact on the Lakers franchise in his time here. He was exactly what the team needed at that time and his success was immense.
Riley had an unbelievable .733 win percentage with the Lakers, going 533-194. He also went 102-47 in the playoffs and the Lakers won at least 50 games in all nine seasons he was the head coach, including five seasons in which they won 60.
An exact date for the unveiling is unknown, but construction is set to be finished in 2026. Riley will be the eighth Lakers legend to be honored with a statue, joining Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Chick Hearn.
Lakers still ‘actively’ eyeing center on trade market
Pat Riley, of course, now serves as team president of the Miami Heat and has been doing so for a long time, making the necessary moves to keep them as a title contender. That is something Rob Pelinka is trying to do with the Lakers as well.
And Pelinka has been hard at work trying to improve the front court as a recent report noted that the Lakers are still ‘actively’ shopping for a center on the trade market. Pelinka and the Lakers front office have long identified this as an area of need but still have been unable to put a deal together.
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