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The Los Angeles Lakers' regular-season schedule features many big matchups. Chief among them is their rivalry against the Boston Celtics, renewed on February 22. Looking at the schedule, the Lakers chose that night as the one where a statue of former head coach Pat Riley will be revealed. The legendary coach won titles leading squads led by Magic Johnson and other stars.
Since taking over the Miami Heat, Riley's association is with his new team to younger fans. However, the best years of his basketball career came with the Lakers. The former coach played in Los Angeles during his NBA career. Eventually, he worked his way through the ranks and became the Lakers' head coach in 1981. He held the spot throughout the “Showtime” era.
Riley is the latest to receive a statue, but Los Angeles has plans for more.
The team released a press release announcing the event. According to Lakers Nation reporter Ryan Ward, Los Angeles picked a perfect night to do so.
“Lakers announce that Pat Riley will have his statue unveiled outside of Crypto on Feb. 22 ahead of the matchup against the Celtics, which is fitting!”
Riley coached the Lakers for almost a decade. Throughout his time on the bench, no team was a bigger challenge than the Celtics. Each team defined the 1980s NBA, winning the majority of championships. The rivalry between Johnson and Larry Bird helped to vault the league's popularity to a national level. To many fans, they are two of the league's most important players.
Decades later, the rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics is going strong. Boston is without Jayson Tatum because of a torn ACL, making this season's matchups less exciting. Regardless, fans will fill the Lakers' stadium to watch the game. Before things kick off, though, Riley will be immortalized alongside Johnson and other Los Angeles legends outside the arena.
Riley's time with the Lakers came to an end years ago. However, his impact on the franchise remains strong. Los Angeles will honor his contributions before taking on their chief rivals.
