On the same night that the Los Angeles Lakers honored Pat Riley with a statue for his time with the franchise, he reflected on LeBron James' days with the Miami Heat. Hall of Fame center Chris Bosh took offense when James left. Perhaps so did Riley, who still ponders what if? LeBron, Bosh, and Dwyane Wade won two championships in four seasons before LeBron signed with the Cleveland Cavs in 2014.
Riley believes James could have led the Heat to a third title, he said, per the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang.
“I thought getting the Big 3 — Dwyane, Chris Bosh, and especially LeBron — that we had finally put together what I thought could become a dynasty,” Riley, 80, said Sunday when asked during a news conference in Los Angeles what James’ four-year run with the Heat meant to him.
“It was. Four trips to the Finals in a row, two world championships. It was an incredible run. And as a coach and somebody who really thought about how to build that particular team and had built it, I saw something that could have lasted eight to 10 years.”
Still, Riley understood James' decision to return to Cleveland, which ultimately led to the Cavs winning their first championship in franchise history.
“I understood,” Riley said of James’ decision to leave the Heat, now seemingly at peace with the way things played out 12 years after James’ departure. “The business in the NBA is the business in the NBA. Players have an opportunity to go somewhere else; he went to Cleveland and won a title up there. So I wish him nothing but the best.
“But I’m going to be selfish here and say I wish I had him for another six or eight years. That would have been great. But we’ll never know, will we?”
James would go on to win his fourth title, and first with the Lakers, in 2020.
LeBron James reflects on his leaving the Heat
All-Star LeBron James paid respect to Heat president Pat Riley, who led the Lakers to four championships from 1982 to 1988 as a head coach. From his front-office position, Riley, who also led the 2006 champion Heat to a title as coach, wished James would lead his team to at least three championships.
James discussed his time with the Heat when a reporter relayed Riley's comments, as the Miami Herald noted.
“I never said I’m going to go there four years and decide to go somewhere else,” James said to reporters in Los Angeles on Sunday when asked about Riley’s comments. “That’s just how the cards were played. But, yeah, it’s human nature to look back and say what could have been. But that’s part of life. I thought the four years that we had were great, obviously.
“We were able to pick up two championships, we lost two of them, unfortunately. But a lot of great memories, a lot of great time there. It would have been interesting to see what could have happened.”
The Lakers lost to the Celtics, 111-89, on Sunday.
