Riley’s Long-Awaited Statue Debut…
Mychal Thompson, a key player from the Lakers’ 1987 and 1988 championship teams, is thrilled that legendary coach Pat Riley will finally get his own statue. Riley, who coached the Lakers during the ‘Showtime’ era, will see his likeness unveiled in Star Plaza on Feb. 22, just before a Lakers game against the Celtics. But Thompson humorously warned that the sculptor had better not be the same one whose work on the Dwyane Wade statue looked more like a potato playing basketball than anything resembling the Miami Heat star.
As far back as 1972, Riley was part of Lakers history, earning a championship ring as a player before becoming an assistant coach in 1979. He took the reins as head coach in 1982 and went on to snag four more championships, achieving the highest win percentage in franchise history. February 22 is set to be a grand celebration of his legacy, as long as the sculpture doesn’t resemble anyone’s Aunt Edna more than Riley himself. Fittingly, the team will face their old rivals, the Celtics, giving Riley another chance to mentally bench press them into oblivion.
