Lakers to honor Pat Riley with statue outside arena on Feb. 22
The Los Angeles Lakers will immortalize Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley with a bronze statue outside their arena next month. The unveiling ceremony is set for Feb. 22 in Star Plaza, where Riley’s likeness will stand alongside basketball legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant.
Riley was the mastermind behind the Lakers’ electrifying “Showtime” era of the 1980s.
From 1981 to 1990, he transformed the Lakers into one of basketball’s most dominant dynasties, racking up four NBA championships in 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988.
His numbers tell the story of greatness. Riley’s Lakers posted a jaw-dropping 533–194 record in regular-season games – that’s a .733 winning percentage. They also collected 102 playoff wins during his nine seasons at the helm.
Consistency was Riley’s hallmark. His teams never won fewer than 50 games in a season during his Lakers tenure.
Even more impressive? The Lakers hit the 60-win mark for five straight seasons under his guidance.
The league took notice, naming him NBA Coach of the Year for the 1989-90 season.
But Riley’s Lakers connection runs deeper than just coaching. He first joined the organization as a player from 1970 to 1975 before moving to the broadcast booth. In 1979, he stepped into an assistant coaching role under Paul Westhead, helping guide a team that had already established its winning ways with a remarkable 33-game winning streak and the 1972 championship.
After leaving Los Angeles, Riley didn’t slow down. He went on to coach the New York Knicks and later the Miami Heat, where he added another championship ring in 2006. He’s still with the Heat today as team president.
Just last season, Miami honored Riley by naming their home court after him during a ceremony that brought together many of his former players.
Riley becomes the eighth Lakers figure to be cast in bronze at Star Plaza. It’s a fitting tribute for a man whose influence on basketball extends far beyond the championships and win totals – he helped define an era of Lakers basketball that fans still talk about with awe nearly four decades later.
