LOS ANGELES — Pat Riley leaned back in the passenger seat of a white golf cart, fitted in a navy and black-striped Giorgio Armani jacket, as he rolled past the memorial statue of Kobe and Gianna Bryant and the fans slowly gathering to try and glean an early look of L.A Live’s new monument for a Laker legend.
“We love you Pat,” one fan yelled as he arrived at his bronze immortalization.
Riley, the architect of the Showtime Lakers, sent a wide smile and a wave in return. This was his day.
It’s been more than three decades since Riley raised banners in Los Angeles — the most-storied coach in Lakers franchise history’s championship victories printed on curtains surrounding his statue (1972 as a player, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988), becoming the eighth Lakers legend to earn the honor of a statue outside of Crypto.com Arena.
When those curtains dropped – accompanied by Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dwayne Wade, longtime-friend and actor Michael Douglas and Jeanie Buss on stage – showcasing a nearly 8-feet-tall, 510-lb statue sculpting in Armani, a crocodile leather belt and 1985 championship ring like himself, Riley couldn’t help but to smile and wrap his arm tightly around his wife, Chris Riley.
The statue was officially on display, joining Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal, Chick Hearn, Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar on the outdoor plaza.
“When I was told that the kid from Schenectady, New York, on the Plaza of Stars – the plaza of legends – I fell to my knees,” Riley, 80, said as a part of nearly-31 minute remarks on Sunday afternoon, the sun shining down, sparkling on Riley in bronze as purple confetti cluttered the air.
“Tears of joy and gratitude. That statue right there is loaded up with all of us who took that magical journey.”
O’Neal sent in prepared remarks via video, while Douglas confirmed that his character, “Gordon Gekko” from the 1987 film Wall Street was inspired off of Riley’s hair. Abdul-Jabbar rose from his chair – his 7-2 frame towering down over the crowd – to share stories about squabbles and the love he shared for his former teammate-turned coach.
“Oh, man, he got on your nerves,” Johnson said during his turn at the microphone on Sunday, leading Abdul-Jabbar to laugh and cover his eyes. “Oh, boy. He got on you. But it was all for the good. Because it always turned out right.”
Buss thanked Miami Heat owner Mickey Arison — who sat second row from the stage — and the Heat organization for granting permission to the Lakers to honor Riley – or ‘Riles’ as he’s been affectionately called over time, making a joke about tampering which generated chuckles from the grandstand crowd watching.
“Your impact didn’t stop with one team, one city, or one era,” said Dwayne Wade, who played for Riley (where he served as an executive and team president) with the Miami Heat from 2003-2016 and 2018-2019. “You changed the game by building culture, by setting standards, and by showing what leadership looks like. Your legacy is excellence, your legacy is culture, your legacy is forever.”
Riley quipped that Wade holds Lakers DNA, adding in a press conference later in the afternoon that Wade learned from what the longtime Lakers coach learned from his time coaching the likes of Johnson, Abdul Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, AC Green, Kurt Rambis, Norm Nixon, Byron Scott and other former players who were in attendance Sunday.
During his turn at the lectern, Johnson asked that the handful of former players whom Riley coached stand as he riddled basketball hall-of-famers and Lakers greats one-by-one.
“This man deserves everything he’s getting today and more,” Johnson said.
Jeanie Buss called Riley “a guardian angel” for the franchise, and the Lakers’ employees and fans – a reference to what her father, Dr. Jerry Buss called Riley during the hay day of the 1980s dominance.
When asked what he hopes the younger generation of fans take from seeing his statue, purposefully placed between Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, his fist raised high signaling for the latter to execute his practically-patented skyhook, he said that whether it’s the Showtime Lakers or today’s team, there’s an obligation to win.
“Just win, baby,” Riley said.
Inscribed at the bottom of the statue includes a reference to words that Riley’s father – Lee Riley – shared to Pat Riley before his death, accompanied by bible verse from Mark 3:25 of the New Testament.
“There will come a time when you are challenged, and when that time comes, you must plant your feet,” the inscription reads. “You must stand firm. You must make a point. About who you are, what you do, and where you come from. When that time comes, you do it.”
As Riley wrapped up his remarks in front of the podium, just moments before his statue was unwrapped and unveiled for the first time, he finished with apt remarks before the Lakers faced the Boston Celtics on Sunday afternoon – words that sent the crowd standing and clapping as they had done for the storied coach many times before.
“The time has come to kick some ass,” Riley said. “Time to kick some Boston ass. God bless you all that are here. Thank you all.”
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