But he is a Los Angeles Lakers legend whose image was fixed in perpetuity Sunday with a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers unveiled the statue before Sunday’s home game against the rival Boston Celtics. It stands between statues of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with whom he won four NBA championships as head coach of the “Showtime” Lakers.
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With a host of Lakers icons watching, the curtain rose and the Riley statue emerged in a flurry of purple and gold confetti. The statue is positioned with Riley raising his right hand into a fist, his signature signal for Johnson to deliver a pass to Abdul-Jabbar for a sky hook.
An inscription at the base of the statue features a quote Riley attributed to his father, Leon Riley:“There will come a time when you will be challenged, and when that time comes, you must plant your feet. You must stand your ground. You must make it clear who you are, what you do, and where you come from. When that time comes, do it.”
Lakers legends among icons to honor Riley
Riley was among the “Showtime” Lakers royalty present at the opening alongside Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, AC Green, Bob McAdoo, Kurt Rambis, Norm Nixon and Byron Scott.
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Also present was Dwyane Wade, who won three NBA championships under Riley’s leadership with the Heat. As did notable “Showtime”-era Lakers fan Michael Douglas, who gave a speech about his friendship with Riley. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, whose father, Jerry Buss, hired Riley, hosted the ceremony.
“Although Pat hasn’t worked here for more than three decades, those remain the Laker principles in large part because of him,” Buss said. “That’s why it was so important for us to recognize Pat with this statue here in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.”
When the statue was unveiled, Riley smiled and gave a thumbs up.
When Pat Riley raised his fist, that meant giving the ball to Kareem.
(MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Riley’s celebration continued at halftime of Sunday’s game with Johnson emceeing a mid-court ceremony in front of a sold-out crowd. Also present was current Laker LeBron James, who won two championships with Riley with the Heat alongside Wade.
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“I was born to be a Laker in 1970 at the Forum with these guys here,” Riley said as he was handed the microphone, while pointing to the aforementioned former Lakers in the building who were lined up behind him at midcourt.
The man known as much for his fashion sense as his basketball acumen then joked.
“And of all of them, there’s only one who’s shown me any real respect today, and that’s James Worthy, who has a tie. Everyone’s acting a little too casual: $2,000 fine for everyone.”
To be fair to Jamaal Wilkes, Wilkes also had a tie.
Riley, who served in many roles with the Lakers, including player and broadcaster, before taking over as head coach, then reflected on his time with the team.
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“I had the opportunity to meet, be with, play with a coach, broadcast, be a traveling secretary and be the head coach of this team. And it is the greatest honor I have ever had.”