Check out the new Pat Riley statue outside the Cripto.com Arena

In the overall NBA landscape, there aren’t many personalities that have had a bigger influence than the former Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat coach Pat Riley. Although he may be known to most for his work as the Heat’s head coach and president, Riley also left behind a fitting legacy with the Lakers.

This led to Showtime immortalizing his legacy by unveiling a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena, featuring the now 80-year-old himself attending the event alongside a number of notables from the Lakers’ past, including Magic Johnson, according to a post on X by Heat Culture.

🚨 UNVEILING OF PAT RILEY STATUE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/IIDuJkgNTn

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) February 22, 2026

Riley’s nine-year coaching run with the Lakers from 1981 to 1990 produced an incredible 533–194 record (.733 winning percentage), four NBA championships and seven Finals appearances. More importantly, he served as the architect of the Showtime Lakers, a dynasty built around superstars like Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The statue makes Riley the first coach in Lakers history to receive such recognition, joining icons such as Magic himself, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal and legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn. While Showtime is often remembered for his superior offense, Riley also emphasized physicality and defensive discipline, popularizing principles like the 1-3-1 half-court trap and reinforcing his famous championship mantra that rebounding and defensive commitment drive titles, the same system he brought to the Heat.

I’m glad the Lakers put up a statue of their greatest coach (squint) Nic Cage

— Robbie Kalland (@rkalland.bski.social) 2026-02-22T21:55:05.053Z

His Lakers teams reached four straight Finals and produced one of the best single-season teams ever in 1987, finishing 65–17 before beating Boston for the championship. Riley also made good on one of the NBA’s most famous guarantees, promising a repeat title in 1988 and becoming the first team in nearly two decades to successfully defend the title.

During his coaching career, Riley won five championships as a head coach, produced 17 50-plus win seasons, seven 60-win campaigns, and earned Coach of the Year honors with three different franchises, the Lakers, Knicks and Heat.