The fans never got an opportunity to give a grateful goodbye, Pat Riley resigning on an early summer afternoon 36 years ago after the end of a lost season.
Everyone will have that chance now.
When Riley left town at the wrong end of grumblings from players and fans, he was the greatest coach not only in Lakers history but also in basketball history, his .733 winning percentage and 102 playoff victories both NBA records at the time.
Everyone will understand now.
He has been Showtime’s forgotten kingpin, its lost leader, its missing warrior, a stylishly distant legend who had been overshadowed by the seven Lakers whose statues stand watch over the plaza outside Crypto.com Arena.
Make that eight Lakers.
Pat Riley lifts his fist to imitate his statue after it was revealed at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
Riley finally is coming home, returning Sunday with the unveiling of a long overdue statue in whose bronze reflection a couple of wistful realizations can be found.
Riles has been terribly, terribly missed.
The Showtime era seems terribly, terribly distant.
Riley hasn’t been with the Lakers in 36 years. The Lakers haven’t won an asterisk-free NBA title in 16 years. Maybe because Shaquille O’Neal spoke only via video Sunday, the greatness of this organization never felt further away.
Mark Walter, were you watching?
The Dodgers group that now owns the Lakers was granted a compelling history lesson during an hourlong ceremony that culminated in a theatrical unveiling of Riley’s statue, smartly situated between the bronzes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The base of Pat Riley’s new statue features quotes from the former Lakers coach, including: “There will come a time when you are challenged, and when that time comes, you must plant your feet. You must stand firm. You must make a point. About who you are, what you do, and where you come from. When that time comes, you do it.”
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
Like Riley himself, his statue looked darn near perfect. There was the raised fist that was once a signal for Magic to pass to Kareem for a skyhook. There was the neatly coiffed hair, the nicely fitting suit, the smartly positioned tie, even the painfully stern expression from a guy who left no doubt who was running the show.
“When I was told that the kid from Schenectady, New York, would be honored with a statue here … I fell to my knees, humbled. I sobbed. … Tears of joy and gratitude,” Riley said during his acceptance speech, adding, “That statue right there … is loaded up with all of us who took that magical journey.”
It was a Showtime magic born of a commitment found in one of the two inscriptions on the statue.
“There will come a time when you are challenged, and when that time comes, you must plant your feet. You must stand firm. You must make a point. About who you are, what you do, and where you come from. When that time comes, you do it.”
Mark Walter, were you reading?
Riley used those words to earn six Lakers championship rings, four as a coach, one as an assistant coach and one as a player.
Pat Riley speaks with Magic Johnson during Riley’s statue unveiling at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday.
(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)
After leaving town in 1990 and making a stop in New York, Riley carried those words with him to Miami, where he led the Heat to one title as a coach and two more as an executive, and where he still serves as president at age 80.
“There will come a time when you are challenged …”
For the new Lakers bosses, that time is now, as they find themselves with a product that is light years from the teams that Riley referenced during what amounted to a 30-minute sermon/history lesson prior to the unveiling.
This Lakers organization is a bit of a mess, as evidenced by the speakers who joined Riley on the stage.
There was Magic and Kareem and Jeanie Buss, who all gave compelling talks, very appropriate. But oddly also speaking was Dwyane Wade, who played for Riley in Miami but was never a Laker. The group was interestingly joined by actor Michael Douglas, who spoke as Riley’s friend, while several Lakers Showtime greats watched from the audience.
It was all a bit disjointed, which is similar to the Lakers’ current situation. They’re so defensively challenged that they’re surely headed for an early playoff exit, even though they have the stunningly great scorer Luka Doncic, and what happens next?
Do they keep LeBron James? (Say no!) Do they pay Austin Reaves? (Say yes!) Do they try to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo? (Go for it!)
All these are questions not unlike the one faced by the late Jerry Buss in 1981 when pondering the notion of hiring a kid who never had coached at any level. Buss trusted his instincts and went for it, the enlistment of Riley fashioning a culture that remained strong until the death of Buss in 2013.
It is a culture that Riley described when he left in 1990, quoting the late author Ernest Becker.
“Man’s greatest fear — and you’ve probably heard this before — is his fear of extinction,” he said in his farewell news conference. “But what he fears more than that is to become extinct with insignificance.”
The Showtime Lakers faced those fears and overcame them.
“What we accomplished was not insignificant,” he added in his farewell address. “All anybody ever wants to do is have the feeling that what they do counts and matters. I’ve always told the players that they don’t just want to be the best of the best. There’s nothing wrong with being unique. We were unique.”
Riley repeated many of those same words Sunday, and added some more wisdom about life with the legends.
“That’s where I learned about commitment … there are only two options,” he said. “You’re in or you’re out. Either you’re with us or against us. There’s no other way, there’s no life in between.”
Riley said through that commitment, the Lakers legacy had been formed.
“The biggest footprint in Laker history had been planted,” he said, later adding, “You begin by chasing footprints, you grow by honoring them. And if you’re committed enough, you leave giant steps of your own.”
He then challenged today’s NBA players, even the ones getting dressed down the hall.
“I ask even the players who play for the Lakers today, I ask you, whose footprints are you chasing today?” he said. “More important, what footprints are you leaving?”
He continued, saying, “When it comes time to kick some ass, you do it. And one day someone will follow the path you left behind and say, ‘Those are footprints worth chasing.”’
Riley ended his talk with what was essentially an inspirational pregame speech as the Lakers prepared to play the rival he finally conquered, those Boston Celtics.
“As my father’s words to me, they ring out loud and clear today,” he said with the sort of verve that is rarely heard around the team these days. “The time has come to kick some ass. To kick some Boston ass.”
Amen.
Mark Walter, were you listening?
This story originally appeared on LA Times
