Subscribe
Follow Us
25 years ago on Tuesday, the Miami Heat franchise changed forever by acquiring Pat Riley from the New York Knicks. The franchise has won three titles since Riley came to South Beach, with the help of Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen and Erik Spoelstra.
Spoelstra, who has a very close relationship with Riley, got emotional on Tuesday while talking about Riley's impact on him and the Heat franchise:
Coach Spo gets emotional and teary-eyed when talking about working for "The Godfather" Pat Riley, who was traded to the Heat from the Knicks 25 years ago today pic.twitter.com/JUlIYCHSDU
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 1, 2020
Heat acquired Pat Riley from NY Knicks 25 years ago today and Spoelstra initially didn't think he would be retained. Spo today: "Fast forward now and I’m extremely grateful for all these years working for the Godfather. He has been an incredible blessing in my life."
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) September 1, 2020
Erik Spoelstra, on Pat Riley being hired by Heat 25 years ago today, "Super nervous. And I thought I would probably be out." He said he was saved when Knicks wouldn't allow Riley to hire from their staff. "That partnership, with Riley and the Arisons, that will go down all time."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 1, 2020
Pat Riley was the head coach of the Heat in 2006 when Miami defeated the Dallas Mavericks for the team's first NBA title. He then moved to the front office and promoted Erik Spoelstra to head coach in 2009, and the rest is history.
Spoelstra is the best coach in Heat franchise history. He has won 567 games in the regular season and two championships. He will likely make the Hall of Fame one day, which is pretty incredible when you consider Spoelstra used to be a video assistant with the Heat.
Riley was able to recruit Jimmy Butler to the Heat last offseason, and now the team is back in the playoffs after missing it in 2018-19. Butler poured in 40 points in Game 1 against the Milwaukee Bucks to open the second round. It was a performance that made Riley and Spoelstra very happy since the franchise now has a superstar in the post-Wade era.
–
Follow ClutchPoints on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us.
All of our NBA content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page here. For all of our college basketball content, click here.
Follow NBA games live by downloading the ClutchPoints App and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.
You can listen and subscribe to the Battle for LA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. You can also find new episodes of Battle for LA, the ClutchPoints NBA Podcast, and Establish the Pass under the Podcast tab on the ClutchPoints home page.
