Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Pat Riley To Be Honored With Statue By Historic Franchise

The Los Angeles Lakers are paying tribute to Miami Heat president Pat Riley by commissioning a statue to be erected in his honor. The statue is going to be included in Star Plaza.

Scott Salomon

Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center.
Oct 23, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley addresses the crowd during the Pat Riley Court dedication ceremony at halftime at Kaseya Center. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The last month has been good to Miami Heat team president Pat Riley.

He was honored by having the floor at the Kaseya Center named in his honor on Oct. 23 when the Heat opened up their season against the Orlando Magic.

The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Monday they have plans to honor Riley as well. The Lakers have commissioned a statue of Riley which is going to join other Lakers legends on Star Plaza which is outside of the Crypto.com Arena.

Lakers team president Jeanie Buss discussed the plans with Riley today on a video call.

"Pat is a Lakers icon," said Buss in a prepared statement. "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 won six total championships with the Lakers. He won four as head coach (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), one as an assistant coach (1980), and one as a player (1972).

Riley is the eighth Laker great to be commemorated in Star Plaza. He will join Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West.

"This is just so incredible," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Monday night before the game with the Philadelphia 76ers. "Those Showtime Lakers are iconic. The image of a professional basketball coach, he totally changed it in the 80's."

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com.

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Scott Salomon
SCOTT SALOMON

Scott Salomon joined FanNation on Sports Illustrated in April 2024 covering breaking news and analysis for the Miami Dolphins channel. In June he joined Inside the Heat and Back in the Day NBA. Scott is based in South Florida and has been covering the local and national sports scene for 35 years. Scott has covered and has been credentialed for the Super Bowl, the NFL Combine, various Orange Bowls and college football championship games. Scott was also credentialed for the NBA All-Star game and covered the Miami Heat during their first six seasons for USA TODAY. Scott is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication and the St. Thomas University School of Law. Scott has two sons and his hobbies include watching sports on television and binge watching shows on various streaming services. Twitter: @ScottSalomonNFL