Pat Riley won four NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their ‘Showtime’ era.
The Los Angeles Lakers dominated the NBA like no other team during their ‘Showtime’ era in the 1980s, led by the dynamic duo of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Aside from the duo, Pat Riley served as the head coach of the Lakers during that era, injecting the team with incredible passion.
Decades later, the Lakers are all set to bestow Riley with the honor of a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesBob Ryan on Pat Riley getting a statue from the Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have decided to unveil Riley’s statue on February 22, 2026. What’s special about the date? Well, the Lakers will host none other than their iconic rivals, the Boston Celtics, on the same day.
Speaking of which, Celtics’ long-time columnist Bob Ryan believes the overlap wasn’t ‘coincidental’ by any means.
“Well, that’s not coincidental. Yeah, I mean the Celtics, they’re they’re wedded at the hip. The two teams, in their historical impact, have won over 40% of the championships in the league combined since 1946.
“That’s who the Celtics and Lakers are,” Ryan said on CLNS Media Boston Sports Network.
For context, out of Riley’s four NBA titles as the Lakers’ head coach, two came against the Celtics. This cemented his legacy as an all-time Purple and Gold great.
“They are the royalty of the league. And anyway, yeah, Riley deserves it for them. What he did for them in that marvelous decade of the 80s,” Ryan added.
How the LA Lakers suffered the consequences of Pat Riley’s exit, explains Bob Ryan
Today, Riley is a legendary NBA figure as he remains the president of basketball operations for the Miami Heat. While the Heat have won multiple championships under Riley, his Lakers stint remains the most iconic.
However, Riley’s Lakers tenure ended in 1990 after four titles in nine seasons. Coming to that, Ryan explained the vicious aftermath of Riley’s departure for the Lakers.
“Well, remember that group didn’t win right after post Kareem until they got you know built up. I mean, he wasn’t gonna help them win right away post Kareem.
“They got to the finals, you know, and then Magic, you know, with Divos, but they weren’t able to win,” Ryan continued.
“Then finally, when Shaq showed up and they had the full complement, they were back, you know, winning championships again,” he concluded.
While Riley last won a title with the Lakers in 1988, even after his exit, the franchise faced a championship drought for the next decade.
The wait for titles ended in 2000 when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal won the NBA Championship under the coaching of Phil Jackson.