Pat Riley Explains His Decision For Leaving The Los Angeles Lakers

Riley left the Showtime Lakers to coach the New York Knicks

On Monday's episode of "Legacy: The True Story of the Los Angeles Lakers, Pat Riley talked about his decision to leave the organization. 

At the time, his popularity was growing. During the 1989-90 season, he began shooting a lot of commercials such as Reebok commercials, Rolaids, and even promoting his book "Showtime Inside the Lakers Breakthrough Season."

“Fame can grab hold of you, but it can manifest itself into a real personality change," Riley said on the episode. "I was starting to grow where I was in commercials, and I was doing this thing and that. We were in the playoffs, and I did a four-hour interview trying to sell the book the night before a game. I get all over somebody else if they did it, but I went ahead and did it, but that’s where I have gotten to, and I thought I could handle it. I think all the players got a little upset with all the attention that I was drawing to myself. I began to lose myself a little, thinking it was me, and I thought I was the reason that we [the Lakers] are successful. The ego gets a little inflated, and I was on the cover of Gentleman’s Quarterly.”

Lakers owner Jerry Buss said he could see the change in Riley. 

"There was no question he had changed, and I think, more difficult," Buss said. "He and I were the best of friends when we were playing, and we used to do everything together. All his friends had changed. I hardly knew him, and it was almost like this is my team, and the one thing that you cannot do is to place yourself, the owner, the players.”

After the Los Angeles Lakers won back-to-back titles, Riley was entrenched with winning but knew eventually it was going to come to an end. Riley then became the next coach of the New York Knicks.

“I was so [engulfed] in winning that this was going to come to an end somewhere," Riley said. "It was going to be an explosion somewhere, or we all just going to retire together happily ever after. That doesn’t happen.

The Lakers finished the season with the best record in the league but would were eliminated in five games in the second round of the playoff against the Phoenix Suns. 

Riley knew his time with the team after nine years at the helm was coming to an end. The Lakers called a press conference to make the announcement they were moving on from Riley.

“When we lost in the playoffs, I could feel the walls closing in," Riley said. I could feel it, and I fought it. I could feel them drawing away from me. I don’t think there is any doubt in my mind that I changed. It was like war."

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