Pat Riley Becomes First Head Coach Immortalized In Lakers History
The Lakers unveil a statue of Pat Riley, the franchise’s first head coach immortalized, recognizing his 533 wins and four NBA titles.
2/24/20262 min read
On February 2026, the Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue of former head coach Pat Riley outside Crypto.com Arena, making him the first head coach in franchise history to receive such recognition.¹ The Lakers, founded in 1947 as the Minneapolis Lakers before relocating to Los Angeles in 1960, have previously honored players and executives with statues, but never a head coach.²
Riley served as head coach of the Lakers from November 1981 through the conclusion of the 1989–90 season.³ Over that span, he compiled a 533–194 regular-season record, producing a .733 winning percentage.³ Among Lakers head coaches with at least 200 games, that mark remains the highest in franchise history.³ By comparison, Phil Jackson posted a .610 winning percentage in his two Lakers tenures (1999–2004; 2005–2011).⁴The April 23 episode did not involve a contractual dispute, a reporting delay, or a public disagreement. It involved access. ESPN expected a live interview with a top-three selection. Sanders chose not to attend the venue.
Riley assumed the head coaching position early in the 1981–82 season following the dismissal of Paul Westhead.⁵ The Lakers finished 57–25 that season and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in six games to capture the NBA championship.⁶ From 1981–82 through 1988–89, the Lakers averaged 60.1 wins per season under Riley.³ During that stretch, Los Angeles recorded five seasons of at least 60 victories and reached seven NBA Finals.³
The Lakers won four NBA championships under Riley (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988).⁶ The 1986–87 team posted a 65–17 record and defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals.⁶ In 1987–88, the Lakers became the first NBA team in nearly two decades to repeat as champions.⁶ Riley’s teams were defined statistically by pace and offensive efficiency; between 1981–82 and 1988–89, Los Angeles finished no lower than sixth in the league in offensive rating.³
Riley was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 1989–90 season, his final year in Los Angeles.⁷ His Lakers tenure concluded with a 63–19 record and a Western Conference Finals appearance.³ He later won an additional NBA championship as head coach of the Miami Heat in 2006.⁸
The statue places Riley alongside franchise figures such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, and broadcaster Chick Hearn, all of whom had previously been commemorated outside the arena.² Riley is the first individual honored in Los Angeles primarily for coaching accomplishments.
During the 1980s, the Lakers appeared in more NBA Finals (eight, including 1980 under Westhead) than any other franchise.⁶ Riley coached in seven of those appearances.³ His 533 regular-season victories rank second in franchise history behind Jackson’s 610 total wins but exceed Jackson’s winning percentage by more than 12 percentage points.³⁴
The unveiling formalizes what the record had long established. Over eight full seasons and parts of two others, Riley coached the most efficient, most consistently successful stretch in franchise history by winning percentage.³ The statue acknowledges that statistical distinction within the Lakers’ historical ledger.
Sources
Los Angeles Lakers official announcement of Pat Riley statue unveiling, February 2026.
Los Angeles Lakers franchise history and existing statues, Lakers.com archives.
Pat Riley coaching record, Los Angeles Lakers, Basketball-Reference.com.
Phil Jackson coaching record, Los Angeles Lakers, Basketball-Reference.com.
1981–82 Los Angeles Lakers season summary, Basketball-Reference.com.
NBA Finals results (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988), Basketball-Reference.com.
1989–90 NBA Coach of the Year Award, Basketball-Reference.com.
2005–06 Miami Heat season summary, Basketball-Reference.com.
