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Lakers Nation > Blog > Lakers News > Mychal Thompson Glad Pat Riley Is ‘Finally’ Getting Lakers Statue
Lakers News

Mychal Thompson Glad Pat Riley Is ‘Finally’ Getting Lakers Statue

Corey Hansford
Published: 08/16/2025
3 Min Read
Pat Riley, Lakers
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 13: Pat Riley speaks at Michael Cooper's jersey retirement ceremony during halftime of a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on January 13, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
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Mychal Thompson was a key piece of the Los Angeles Lakers’ back-to-back championship teams in 1987 and 1988. Those teams, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, were coached by Pat Riley who remains considered as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history and an important figure in Lakers’ franchise lore.

With the schedule for the 2025-26 NBA season being officially released, the Lakers announced that a statue for Riley will be unveiled in Star Plaza on Feb. 22 prior to their game against the rival Boston Celtics. Many are excited for the coach to be immortalized and Thompson is among them, though he also hopes the statue comes out right.

Thompson took to social media to express his excitement at the announcement of the statue unveiling, though he did throw out a joke about hoping the Lakers don’t hire the same person that did the infamous Dwyane Wade last year:

YAAAY Pat Riley’s FINALLY gonna get a statue in LA but they better NOT hire Wade’s statue sculptor or else Riley will end up lookin like Abe Lincoln…

— Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) August 15, 2025

That Wade statue hilariously came under a lot of criticism for not looking at all like the Miami Heat legend and NBA Hall of Famer. Thompson not wanting the same outcome for Riley is understandable, though the history of Lakers’ statues outside Crypto.com Arena suggests things should turn out perfectly fine.

As Thompson said, this statue for Riley is long overdue as he was instrumental to the ‘Showtime’ Lakers era of the 1980s. After winning a championship with the Lakers as a player in 1972, Riley joined as an assistant coach in 1979, being part of that title team before taking over as head coach in 1982 and winning four more rings.

Riley has the highest win percentage in Lakers’ franchise history and is second in regular season and playoff victories trailing only Phil Jackson. Feb. 22 will be a day of well deserved celebration for Riley and hopefully the team will cap the night off with a victory over the Celtics, a team he still despises to this day.

Lakers to face Clippers, Nuggets & Mavericks for NBA Rivalry Week

Normally, the Lakers would take on the hated Celtics during NBA Rivalry Week, but the league decided to go a different direction this season. The Lakers kick off a season-long eight game road trip during Rivalry Week, facing the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks during one of the league’s premier showcases.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

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TAGGED:Los Angeles LakersMychal ThompsonPat Riley
ByCorey Hansford
Corey Hansford is the Senior Editor for Lakers Nation, as well as a contributor for Dodger Blue, Rams News Wire, and Raiders News Wire. He is a passionate follower of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chelsea FC, and the UFC. He can usually be seen arguing the merits of Kobe Bryant or cursing the decisions of Jerry Jones. He is also a former producer and associate producer for Sirius XM Sports Radio on both the Fantasy Sports Channel and College Sports Nation. Proud graduate of Long Beach Poly High School and The Real HU, Howard University, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Follow him on all social media outlets at @TheeCoreyH.
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