Classic Photos of Pat Riley

SI Staff | Jun 15, 2012

Classic Photos of Pat Riley /

Classic Photos of Pat Riley

Pat Riley

Riley smiles for his sophomore season portrait at the University of Kentucky. Over three seasons in Lexington, Riley averaged 18.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game under the legendary Adolph Rupp.

Pat Riley

Riley rises up for a jumper against Tennessee in a 1966 game.

Pat Riley and Harry Flournoy

Riley graces the cover of Sports Illustrated despite appearing to commit a blocking foul in the 1966 national title game. Riley's Kentucky Wildcats were shocked by Texas Western, 72-65, in a game that would be later commemorated in the Disney movie Glory Road . Riley has a cameo in the film.

Pat Riley and Elvin Hayes

Riley chats with teammate Elvin Hayes at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1968. Riley's fellow San Diego Rockets teammates included Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman and Lakers' color announcer Stu Lantz.

Pat Riley and Wilt Chamberlain

Riley takes the ball from teammate Wilt Chamberlain in a 1972 playoff game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Phil Jackson and Pat Riley

Riley drives to the bucket against fellow future coaching giant Phil Jackson in the 1972 NBA Finals. Riley's Lakers would win the series in five games.

Los Angeles Lakers

Riley hugs teammate Wilt Chamberlain after a game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lakers would dispatch of the Bucks in six games and eventually win the NBA Finals in five games over the New York Knicks.

Paul Westhead and Pat Riley

Riley chats with Paul Westhead during a L.A. Lakers practice in 1980. The Lakers would win 12 out of 16 playoff games and finish off the Philadelphia 76ers in six games for the 1980 NBA Championship.

Pat Riley and Magic Johnson

Riley shakes hands with Magic Johnson after Johnson was awarded a car and a trophy for winning MVP of the 1982 NBA Finals.

Pat Riley and Norm Nixon

Riley gives instructions to point guard Norm Nixon during the 1983 NBA Playoffs. A slick passer with a soft shooting touch, Nixon averaged over 17 points and eight assists per game between 1978 and 1983 as a member of the Lakers.

Pat Riley

Riley squats on the sideline during a regular season game against the Boston Celtics. Riley faced the Celtics in three NBA Finals during his Lakers tenure and won two of those series.

Byron Scott and Pat Riley

Riley holds back Lakers point guard and future NBA coach Byron Scott during a 1986 regular season game.

Los Angeles Lakers

The 1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers pose around for a team photo. Riley would coach the team to its second consecutive championship that season. It was one of four he would win as head coach of the Lakers.

Pat Riley

Riley famously gags himself at the 1988 Lakers' championship parade to avoid making any predictions about the next season. Perhaps he should have talked; the Lakers would be swept out of the finals by the Pistons the next season.

Pat Riley and David Letterman

Riley jokes around with David Letterman eight days after the Riley's Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship over the Detroit Pistons in seven games.

Pat Riley and Patrick Ewing

Riley and Patrick Ewing stare kindly at one another during a photo shoot in 1991. Ewing would finish fifth in MVP voting that season, averaging 24 points per game, 11 rebounds and three blocks per game. The Knicks eventually lost in seven games to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

New York Knicks

Riley talks to his team during a timeout in a 1991 regular season game. Riley took the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in his first season in New York. Though they would lose in seven games to the eventual champion Chicago Bulls, the Knicks were the only team to take the champs to seven games.

Lawrence Taylor, Magic Johnson and Pat Riley

Riley jokes with Magic Johnson and former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor at an AIDS fundraiser in 1995.

Pat Riley

Riley draws up plays for a photo shoot prior to the 1995 NBA Playoffs. It would be the last season Riley would use a Knicks' chalkboard. Patrick Ewing's missed layup in the final seconds of the Eastern Conference Semifinals knocked the Knicks out of the playoffs and Riley out of a job.

John Starks and Pat Riley

Riley stands nearby John Starks in April, 1995. Starks was an integral part of all of Riley's Knicks teams, but remains notorious for his 2-18 shooting performance in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals.

Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning

Riley talks on the sidelines with Alonzo Mourning. Mourning finished the season with 24 points and 10 rebounds per game, but the Heat would be swept out of the first round by Chicago.

Pat Riley

Riley barks at his team during the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals. There was only so much even Riley could do, the Heat lost in five games to the defending champion Chicago Bulls, who would eventually repeat as champions.

Pat Riley

Riley touches the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Judaism's most holy site. The Heat traveled to Israel in October 1999 for an exhibition against Maccabe Tel Aviv.

Pat and Chris Riley

Riley and his wife Chris attend the premiere of CSI: NY at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City in 2004.

Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade

Riley talks to Dwyane Wade on the sideline during a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in December 2007. Despite his .636 career winning percentage, Riley concluded his coaching career on a low note. The 2007-2008 Miami Heat finished a dreadful 15-67 one year after being swept out of the first round.

Magic Johnson, Pat Riley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Riley poses for a photo with legends Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during a 1985 Los Angeles Lakers championship reunion.

Pat Riley and Shaquille O'Neal

Riley shakes hands with Shaquille O'Neal after winning game six of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals. The exchange was probably as awkward as it appears. The two have a well-documented feud that O'Neal detailed in his 2011 autobiography "Shaq Uncut."

Pat Riley and Miami Heat

Riley takes to the microphone after his Miami Heat won the 2006 NBA title. It was the last of five NBA Championships won in his career and the only one he did not win as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dick Vitale, Cathy Rush, Pat Riley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Adrian Dantley

Riley is inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame along with Dick Vitale, Cathy Rush, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Adrian Dantley in 2008 in San Antonio.

Chris Bosh and Pat Riley

Riley poses with Chris Bosh at the Chris Bosh Home Strong Celebrity Gala at Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

Published Jun 15, 2012

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