The statue of the legendary player, head coach, and executive Pat Riley will soon be greeting fans and passersby outside the Los Angeles Lakers home arena, Crypto.com Arena.
In a statement made on Monday, the Lakers have confirmed a statue of Riley, which will “cement” his legacy, is currently in the works and is expected to be completed by 2026. The details of the unveiling ceremony will be announced by the due date.
Pat Riley initially played with the Los Angeles Lakers between 1970 and 1975, winning one NBA title during that time. He rejoined the franchise in 1979 as an assistant before being promoted to head coach in 1981.
As a head coach of the “Showtime Lakers,” Riley won four NBA championships and reached three more NBA Finals before leaving the team at the end of the 1989–90 campaign.
“Pat is a Lakers icon,” Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said. “His professionalism, commitment to his craft, and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today … The style of basketball Pat and the Lakers created in the 80s is still the blueprint for the organization today: an entertaining and winning team.”
Riley later coached the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat, winning another NBA ring with the latter in 2005–06. He stepped down as the head coach of the Heat in 2008 while keeping his role of president of basketball operations.
