A new piece of NBA history now stands outside Crypto.com Arena, and it belongs to one of basketball’s most influential figures: Pat Riley.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Los Angeles Lakers honored Riley with a statue unveiling ahead of their matchup against the Boston Celtics, placing him among franchise royalty.
The statue sits between Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar—two players central to Riley’s legendary run as head coach during the “Showtime” era.
The design captures a signature moment. Riley is frozen mid-gesture, right fist raised—his well-known signal that set up one of the most unstoppable plays in basketball: a pass to Abdul-Jabbar for the skyhook.
The base of the statue features a quote Riley credited to his father, Leon Riley: “There will come a time when you are challenged… you must stand firm… and make a point about who you are.”
The ceremony brought out a who’s who of Lakers history. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, A.C. Green, and other members of the 1980s dynasty were in attendance. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss spoke about Riley’s lasting influence on the organization, citing values he emphasized decades ago.
“Dignity, respect, pride,” Buss said, recalling Riley’s own words about coaching. “Those are the values he lives by… and the ones he embedded here.”
Riley, now best known as the president of the Miami Heat, took a moment to reflect on his full-circle journey with the franchise. He reminded the crowd that his connection to the Lakers runs deeper than just coaching.
“I had the opportunity to… play, coach, broadcast… and be a head coach of this team,” he said. “And it’s the greatest honor I’ve ever had.”
That résumé is unmatched. Riley won an NBA title as a player with the Lakers in 1972, then returned to help build a dynasty as a coach, winning four championships in the 1980s. He later added another title as head coach of the Miami Heat in 2006 and continued stacking rings as an executive.
Often called “The Godfather” for both his presence and influence, Riley is one of the rare figures to win championships across every level of the game—player, assistant coach, head coach, and executive.