Many basketball fans today associate Pat Riley with the Miami Heat. But he forged his identity and resume as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers back in the 1980s.
Riley began his career as an NBA player in the late 1960s and 1970s, spending most of his career with the Lakers. At the beginning of the 1979-80 season, Magic Johnson’s rookie season, Riley became an assistant coach under Paul Westhead and became a member of Los Angeles’ first championship team in the Showtime era. Two years later, he became the team’s head coach and led the team to another championship, and won three more championships under his leadership in 1985, 1987 and 1988.
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The Lakers unveiled a statue of Riley outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday before the Lakers faced off against their old rivals, the Boston Celtics. The event was attended by many, including two-time Academy Award winner Michael Douglas, who played Gordon Gekko in the 1987 film “Wall Street.”
Douglas said Gekko’s slicked-back hair was based on Riley’s signature hairstyle.
Magic Johnson, Riley’s right-hand man throughout the Showtime era, spoke up, not only praising his old coach but telling the story of Riley’s decision to make him the No. 1 option on offense.
“One of the best days was when he said, ‘Buck, you’ve got to score more.’ That meant I got to take more shots.” He said, “This is what I’m asking you to do.” I said, “Have you asked Karim?” He said yes. I said “Okay then.” Because nothing will happen to our team without Karim’s permission”
Then it was Riley’s turn to speak. He ended his speech by imploring the Lakers to defeat the pesky Celtics and recalling a motivational speech he gave to the Lakers during the 1985 NBA Finals, the team’s first world championship win over Boston.
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The statue was unveiled and it was a beautiful thing. It depicts Riley raising his fist as a signal for his player to pass the basketball to legendary center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The inscription on the statue recalls Riley’s speech to the Purple and Gold before Game 2 of the 1985 Finals, when they were embarrassed by 34 points in Game 1, inspiring them to assert their manhood and demand what they deserved.
Although the Lakers have had great players and coaches in the 36 years since Riley’s departure, Riley played a huge role in defining the Lakers’ mystique and helping transform what was already a great team in the early 1980s into arguably the greatest team in NBA history in the mid-20th century.
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This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Highlights from Sunday’s Pat Riley statue unveiling