The Los Angeles Lakers have commissioned a statue of legendary coach Pat Riley, the team announced Monday.
Riley won six championships as a Lakers player (1972) and coach (1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988 as head coach, and 1980 as an assistant). The statue, which will be located in Star Plaza outside of Crypto.com Arena, is set to be completed in 2026. The date of the unveiling is to be determined.
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss surprised Riley with the announcement in a video call Monday alongside his wife, Chris Riley, several of his former players (Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Kurt Rambis, A.C. Green and Vlade Divac) and Jerry West’s wife, Karen.
“Pat is a Lakers icon,” Buss said in a news release. “His professionalism, commitment to his craft and game preparation paved the way for the coaching we see across the league today. My dad recognized Pat’s obsession and ability to take talented players and coalesce them into a championship team. The style of basketball Pat and the Lakers created in the 80s is still the blueprint for the organization today: an entertaining and winning team.”
Riley will be the eighth Laker honored with a statue, joining Kobe Bryant, Johnson, West, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Elgin Baylor and play-by-play…
