The Los Angeles Lakers were the best team of the 1980s, and Pat Riley gave love to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for making the head coach a legend. Riley was honored with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. Riley won a title as a role player wearing purple and gold in 1972. He got another as assistant coach before stepping into the head chair for four titles in seven years from 1982 to 1988. Riley unleashed the Showtime Lakers, and his former players showed up to honor him. This was a special group, but Riley gave extra love to the captain.
Fans have been hyped about the statue unveil for months, and the day finally came on Sunday. Fans got to see Magic Johnson introduce his former head coach on the floor and saw all the legends take part in the ceremony. It was a great day to be a fan, except for the current squad losing to the rival Celtics in predictable fashion.
Riley’s statue was well done and features the coach with his fist raised as he signaled for the Showtime era’s popular play of getting the ball into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The coach knew when to let the captain go to work, and the big man never disappointed.
Pat Riley thanks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for saving him
Riley talked about joining the Lakers in 1970 and gave thanks to many people, including Dr. Jerry Buss and his players. He gave special acknowledgement to Kareem for bailing them out whenever it needed to be done. Lakers fans know the legend was unstoppable, and Riley relied on the captain often to make sure they won the championship.
Fans can see Pat Riley’s entire on-court ceremony below, which is capped by the former head coach giving love to Abdul-Jabbar.
Most fans don’t remember the Showtime Lakers, but they were revolutionary. Riley had them playing fast and dazzling with their on-court skill. Magic Johnson was an oversized point guard running the show, and Abdul-Jabbar was the league’s most dominant big man. LA was virtually unstoppable and made Riley a legend.
Pat Riley was far from done. He went on to be the head coach for the Knicks and Heat before becoming the architect of multiple championships in Miami. He got LeBron James to South Beach to build the Big 3 that reached the NBA Finals four consecutive years.
In total, Riley has nine NBA championships, including winning as a player, coach, and executive. His resume stacks up against anyone’s, and it wouldn’t be possible without his time in Los Angeles. Riley was quick to credit the Lakers for believing in him and noted that his experience in Hollywood shaped his title-winning elsewhere.
The Los Angeles Lakers honored Pat Riley with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, but the head coach gave the credit to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for bailing him out whenever things got sticky. The captain was in attendance with his Showtime teammates. It was a special night for fans, even if Luka Doncic and company couldn’t get a win to cap it all off.