Inside The Heat

Pat Riley Had No Issue With LeBron James Guaranteeing Titles In 2010

Shandel Richardson

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. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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Miami Heat team president Pat Riley has no problem with confidence.

It's why he had zero issues with LeBron James famously saying the Heat would "multiple" titles when he and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in 2010.

"I didn't mind at all," Riley said during an appearance The OGs Show with Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. "We had a packed house, fare going crazy. Those things don't happen that often in the NBA. I think he was kidding, I don't mind people saying we are going to win."

Riley made a similar guarantee when he coached the Los Angeles Lakers. After defeating the Boston Celtics in the 1987 Finals, Riley said they would repeat.

"In 1987, we beat the Celtics," Riley said. "It was the best team that we ever had. That team had matured in 1987 to be the best they could as a team. We won 67 games that year. We won the title. After four championships, I remember saying to the media at the parade, `I guarantee the next year we're going to win again.' And I meant it."'

The Lakers made good on Riley's promise, defeating the Detroit Pistons the next season. While James didn't win as many titles as expected, he did lead the Heat to two championships.

"The reason I said it, and I thought a lot about it, I wanted to put more pressure on that team than they've ever had on them," Riley said. "If you guys think you're as great as you are, you can win back-to-back titles, you've got to do it and I believed it."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here