Pat Riley was a pioneer of NBA coaching, so it was only appropriate that he added another accomplishment to his growing list of them.
The Lakers unveiled their statue for franchise legend Riley on Sunday afternoon ahead of their home game against the Celtics, their longtime rival.
Riley, who was the Lakers’ head coach for nine seasons (1981-90) during the “Showtime” era, led the franchise to four NBA championships (1982, ’85, ’87, ’88), with two of those titles coming against the Celtics.
Riley made it clear during his speech before the statue was unveiled that his professional competitiveness against the Celtics hasn’t changed.
“The time has come to kick some a–,” Riley said. “To kick some Boston a–.”
A 2008 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Riley was part of six Lakers NBA championship teams as a player (one; 1972), assistant coach (one; 1980) and head coach.
“You go back and look to that period, and you go back to that time and look where I am today, this is where I ended up, I don’t know how I got here,” Riley said. “But I got here, and now there’s a statue out there and that plaza of stars. I’m so grateful. I really am. It’s beyond gratitude. I’m so grateful to be honored and to be with those who are the giants that I jumped up on their shoulders and they carried me. They did it. And here.”
This story will be updated.