Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy best represent the Los Angeles Lakers’ “Showtime” era, but none of them would have been there without former head coach Pat Riley.
Riley led the Lakers and its stars to four championships during his time as the head coach, helping turn the storied franchise into the NBA’s most popular team.
Riley went on to work for the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, but he’ll always be remembered for his contributions to the purple and gold. Lakers history can’t be told without Riley and the organization finally honored the legendary coach with his own statue in front of Crpyto.