On Feb. 22, 2026, the Los Angeles Lakers organization commemorated Pat Riley by unveiling a bronze statue of him in the Star Plaza of Crypto.com Arena. While Riley is currently synonymous with the Miami Heat as the organization’s president, some may have forgotten his importance during the Lakers’ “Showtime” era.
“Showtime” Lakers legend Magic Johnson recently recalled his time playing under the leadership of Riley.
Magic Johnson Breaks Down How Impactful Pat Riley Was as a Coach
From 1981 to 1990, Riley was named head coach of the Lakers after former owner Jerry Buss fired the team’s head coach, Paul Westhead. Since then, Riley made the most out of his opportunity and led the Lakers to four championship berths.
Four of those championship victories featured none other than arguably the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson. Prior to his success with Riley, Johnson already reached the top of the mountain in 1980 when Westhead was still in charge.
However, Johnson himself mentioned that it wasn’t until his time with Riley that he truly achieved superstardom. In a recent episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, Johnson took the opportunity to look back at the “Shotime” Lakers era. The basketball legend acknowledged Riley’s impact as a coach and applauded him for helping him become the basketball star he was at the time.
“Easy. He was a perfectionist,” Johnson said. “You had to do everything right. He always preached making sure that we worked hard and we were mentally and physically tough, and then he always had an excellent gameplan when we went against anybody, whoever we played against. And he was very demanding.”
“I love that,” Johnson continued. “Because he coached me hard, and all the skill sets he was able to bring out of me, I use them today in business. Not only was I a better basketball player, but I’m a better man today because of Pat Riley.”
Because of their impact throughout basketball’s history, both Johnson and Riley are now in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Johnson was the first to be inducted in 2002, followed by Riley in 2008.
While Riley was recognized for his efforts as a head coach, we wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a two-time Hall of Famer in the near future. Considering he’s been the Heat’s president for a while now, there’s always a slight possibility he will be inducted for his contributions to the organization’s front office.
