Inside The Heat

Pat Riley Mourns The Passing Of Close Friend Jerry West

Shandel Richardson

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Pat Riley and Jerry West have a history dating to the 1970s.

It was helped who helped build Riley into one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. On Tuesday, West passed away at the age of 86.

Riley offered his condolences in a statement released by the Miami Heat.

“I loved Jerry West! We loved being Lakers together; it was sacred ground," Riley said in the statement. We grew in life with each other and shared the best and worst of times together. We can only hope there is someone we meet during a crucial time in our lives that will change you in ways you could dream about. Jerry was that person for me.

Riley took over for West as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 1980s. It was a move jump-started by West, who saw talent in Riley. The Lakers won four titles under Riley in the `80s.

“Chris and I pray the Good Lord will look after Karen and his family during this most difficult time," Riley continued. "May peace be with them. And Jerry, one day, my good friend, we will meet again. Just save me a burger, milkshake and custard with whipped cream. The best lunch I ever had. Until then, Rest in Peace.”

West, who is a Hall of Famer, helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the title in 1972. In 1969, he became the only player in league history to win Finals MVP on a losing team when the Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics.

West was a 14-time All-Star and made 12 All-NBA teams. He was also a five-time All-Defensive selection. He was a member of the 75th Anniversary NBA team

Heat owner Micky Arison also paid his respects to West.

Here's wrote Arison wrote on X after hearing of West's passing: "Jerry West is one of my favorite people that I had the honor to get to know in the NBA. He welcomed me to the league, offered advice from the first day, and asked nothing in return. He will be missed. Rest in peace."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. 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