Pat Riley Put Heat Guard Dion Waiters Through 'Crazy' Workout During Rehab

"I just looked at [James Johnson] and said, 'That was crazy,'" Dion Waiters told Sports Illustrated.

In a new Sports Illustrated story on Dion Waiters, the Heat guard revealed that team executive Pat Riley put him through a grueling rehab workout.&

Waiters, 27, was coming off a major ankle surgery when he arrived at Miami's training facility in mid-November. He was expecting a hard workout, but he wasn't expecting it to be led by 73-year-old Riley, who emerged from his office in athletic gear.

Nadkarni: Dion Waiters Would Like a Word

"You never see Pat dressed like that," Waiters told SI's Rohan Nadkarni.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

"What followed was the most intense rehab workout Waiters had ever completed. High-intensity, full-court drills, from defensive slides to closeouts and everything in between, with Riley barking orders the whole time, pushing Waiters to his outermost limits. After the session ended, Waiters retreated to the locker room with a then-rehabbing James Johnson, with both rendered speechless from the Riley-run, 'old-school, hard-as-nails' sweatfest."

Waiters said he and Johnson sat in the locker room for 45 minutes after to relax.

"I just looked at him and said, 'That was crazy,'" Waiters said.

Riley worked out Waiters a couple more times after that first workout. Waiters' friend, Rashawn "Bub" Cunningham, said the executive and Waiters have a father-son relationship. 

Waiters will have missed almost a year of basketball because of his injury by the time he returns to basketball.

Riley is regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches, winning five championships as a coach, three as an executive and one as a player.