Pat Riley reveals 1 wish for current NBA coaches at Lakers statue reveal

When it comes to thinking about the gold standard of NBA coaches, not many names crop up apart from that of Pat Riley. Despite having won the championship five times as a head coach, twice as an executive, once as a player and once as an assistant coach, his titles only paint part of the picture across his career at the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Befittingly, the Showtime recently unveiled a statue commemorating his legacy, and Riley was asked a simple question about current NBA coaches.

The Miami Heat president stated that he wishes current NBA coaches “went back to coats and ties” when asked if he would still wear Armani suits if he coached today, per a post on X by journalist Khobi Price. And well, there is no surprise as far as that response is concerned.

Riley, now 80 and still serving as president of the Miami Heat, becomes the first coach in Los Angeles Lakers history to receive a statue, placing him alongside names such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West and Chick Hearn. With the Lakers, Riley reached seven NBA Finals during his nine-season tenure from 1981 to 1990.

However, that is only a small part of his legacy. Across his career as player, assistant coach, head coach and executive, he owns nine championship rings, including a 1972 title as a Lakers player, multiple titles as the architect of Showtime, the Miami Heat’s breakthrough 2006 championship as head coach, and executive titles during Miami’s Big Three era in 2012 and 2013. He remains the first major North American sports figure to win championships in all four of those roles.

A Hall of Fame member since 2008, Riley is often regarded as “The Godfather” of the NBA, and there was never any doubt that he would still wear Armani suits if he coached in the best basketball league in the world.

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