Originally published by LakersNation.com
The Los Angeles Lakers will officially unveil the statue of Pat Riley on Sunday, Feb. 22. The unveiling will begin at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be aired live on Spectrum SportsNet and the team’s YouTube page.
Riley has the honor of being the first Lakers coach immortalized outside of Crypto.com Arena, joining the likes of fellow franchise legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
While Riley currently serves as the President of Basketball Operations for the Miami Heat, he is most known for his tenure as Los Angeles’ head coach in the 1980s. After Los Angeles won the 1980 NBA Championship, Riley was named the head coach weeks into the 1981-82 season after Jerry West turned down the job.
He established the “Showtime” Lakers play style that featured highlight-reel fast breaks and an up-tempo style that teams struggled to keep up with. Under Riley, the purple and gold captured four more NBA titles including a back-to-back feat in 1987 and 1988.
Following his career with the Lakers, Riley went on to coach the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Riley won one more championship with the Heat in 2006, giving him five rings as a head coach and cementing his status as one of the greatest coaches to ever come through the NBA.
Aside from his basketball IQ and ability to communicate with players, Riley also made a name for himself with his styling choices. Riley became known for his slicked back hair and tailored suits, a fitting image for a head coach in Hollywood.
The Lakers are the gold standard when it comes to paying homage to its basketball legends, so it’ll be exciting to see Riley’s statue unveiled before the current team takes on one of his long-time rivals in the Boston Celtics.
Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy headlined the “Showtime” Lakers, but they also had several key role players on their championship teams. For example, Mychal Thompson was a member of those teams under Pat Riley and won two championships towards the ends of his career in the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
As someone who played for Riley, Thompson acknowledged he’s glad that his former head coach is finally being recognized with a statue. Riley is widely regarded as one of the best head coaches and executives in NBA history, so it’s only right that the Lakers franchise honors his legacy outside Crypto.com Arena.
How to watch Pat Riley statue unveiling
The Pat Riley statue unveiling ceremony will air live by the Lakers on their YouTube page, Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum SportsNet+ at 12:30 p.m PT.
Following the event, the full ceremony will be available for viewing on Lakers.com.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
The Los Angeles Lakers will officially unveil the statue of Pat Riley on Sunday, Feb. 22. The unveiling will begin at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be aired live on Spectrum SportsNet and the team’s YouTube page.
Riley has the honor of being the first Lakers coach immortalized outside of Crypto.com Arena, joining the likes of fellow franchise legends like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
While Riley currently serves as the President of Basketball Operations for the Miami Heat, he is most known for his tenure as Los Angeles’ head coach in the 1980s. After Los Angeles won the 1980 NBA Championship, Riley was named the head coach weeks into the 1981-82 season after Jerry West turned down the job.
He established the “Showtime” Lakers play style that featured highlight-reel fast breaks and an up-tempo style that teams struggled to keep up with. Under Riley, the purple and gold captured four more NBA titles including a back-to-back feat in 1987 and 1988.
Following his career with the Lakers, Riley went on to coach the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Riley won one more championship with the Heat in 2006, giving him five rings as a head coach and cementing his status as one of the greatest coaches to ever come through the NBA.
Aside from his basketball IQ and ability to communicate with players, Riley also made a name for himself with his styling choices. Riley became known for his slicked back hair and tailored suits, a fitting image for a head coach in Hollywood.
The Lakers are the gold standard when it comes to paying homage to its basketball legends, so it’ll be exciting to see Riley’s statue unveiled before the current team takes on one of his long-time rivals in the Boston Celtics.
Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy headlined the “Showtime” Lakers, but they also had several key role players on their championship teams. For example, Mychal Thompson was a member of those teams under Pat Riley and won two championships towards the ends of his career in the 1987 and 1988 seasons.
As someone who played for Riley, Thompson acknowledged he’s glad that his former head coach is finally being recognized with a statue. Riley is widely regarded as one of the best head coaches and executives in NBA history, so it’s only right that the Lakers franchise honors his legacy outside Crypto.com Arena.
How to watch Pat Riley statue unveiling
The Pat Riley statue unveiling ceremony will air live by the Lakers on their YouTube page, Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum SportsNet+ at 12:30 p.m PT.
Following the event, the full ceremony will be available for viewing on Lakers.com.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
