Pat Riley still has jokes for his former players

The Los Angeles Lakers made room for another statue in front of the Crypto Arena. The legendary head coach of the Lakers and current president of the Miami Heat Pat Riley it now has a golden sculpture. Although Riley’s ceremony came with a few ribs.

Riley walked into the Lakers home to accept his latest honor. But the 80-year-old still has jokes especially for James Worthy and others he has coached.

Pat Riley’s halftime speech, where he thanked James Worthy for being the only former player to wear a tie and joked that he handed out $2,000 fines to everyone else: https://t.co/fkckzh11fh pic.twitter.com/cUa6lBKVzP

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) February 23, 2026

The night became filled with laughter, especially from Riley’s celebrity players. But there was still a serious tone from Riley, especially with this message scrawled on his statue:

“There will come a time when you will be challenged. And when that time comes, you have to put your feet up. You have to stand firm. You have to make a point. About who you are, what you do, and where you come from. And when that time comes, do it,” the message said.

That quote came during the 1985 NBA Finals that LA won against the rival Boston Celtics.

Current Lakers coach compared to Pat Riley?

A four-time NBA champion with the Lakers, Riley founded the famous “Showtime Lakers” of the 1980s. Riley turned to names like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Worthy and others to dominate the 1980s.

JJ Redick now hold down position Riley became famous about four decades ago. Redick was a child of the ’80s during his Lakers days – but many believe his coaching style mimics that of the legendary leader.

The current leader of the Lakers still decided to give Riley his roses.

“I didn’t think much about the comparisons at the time. I think Pat, for me, kind of set the standard for modern NBA coaches and I kind of always looked at the NBA through two very different eras,” Redick told reporters. “You can make a point of demarcation either right at the merger, or in 80-81 right around the time Dallas joined as the 23rd team.”

Redick continued, “Pat just set the standard for what a modern NBA coach should be.

Riley joins Shaquille O’Neal, Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn and Kobe Bryant as Lakers to have a statue outside the Crypt.