Bob Costas Recalls Magic Johnson’s Disappointment In Him After Nearly Losing to Pat Riley During Their ‘Heated’ Hair Shootouts On NBC

At the turn of the 20th Century, Pat Riley’s style quotient was the real deal in the NBA. As a Los Angeles Lakers head coach, his slicked-back hair perfectly fit the bill of Hollywood. But there was a time when Riley had to let someone mess up his celebrated slicked-back hairdo. On The Ringer’s The Press Box podcast, former NBA on NBC host Bob Costas revealed how he engaged in a free-throw shooting bet with the Lakers HC, and the winner had the chance to play with the loser’s hair. 

The stakes were much higher for Costas as he would have had to lose the entire hair while Riley just allowed a slight disturbance to his hair in case he lost.

This shoot-out caused major intrigue and even Lakers’ Magic Johnson was curious to know if his HC would let someone touch his well-maintained hairstyle. Costas had the chance to put things to bed before the last game of the Western Conference Finals in 1991, but couldn’t convert on the game-winning free-throw.

Johnson, who would have loved to see his coach getting the short end of the stick, was disappointed that the NBC announcer couldn’t seal the deal. Costas recalled how the 3x Finals MVP reacted to his unfinished business,

“Bob, why’d you miss that shot last night? We were all rooting for you. I’m watching the game. We all thought you put or put our old coach away.” 

The anticipation towards the final shootout was a season-long culmination and turned into a Best of Ten scenario. Costas emerged on top after nailing all ten free throws, while Riley missed two. The NBC analyst had escaped a grim fate and had the bragging rights to botch the 4x champion coach’s iconic hairstyle.

In one of the early NBA on NBC segments, Riley and Costas shot a couple of free throws to advance their box score. Before that segment, the Lakers HC had a one-point lead and then made one out of the two attempts while sitting on his chair. Meanwhile, the NBC announcer unleashed a proper form and nailed both free throws to tie things up. 

Ultimately, he’d go one to edge the former Lakers athlete by two free throws and couldn’t wait to disturb the hair pattern of his ‘adversary’. Before the Game 2 of the 1991 Finals, the audience was enthused to watch a rare moment. As Riley and Costas sat side-by-side, “The Godfather” tidied his hair up only for the NBC commentator to intervene and mess up the flow.

After accomplishing this satisfying feat, Costas joyfully stated, “Ladies and Gentleman, this is certainly the proudest moment of my career.”

Proudest moment of Bob Costas' Career: Messing up Pat Riley's hair. pic.twitter.com/8LhxSc0W07

— OLDSKOOLBBALL (@oldskoolbballx) February 18, 2023

Thus, Costas’ four-decade NBC tenure is marked by him getting the privilege to disturb the unmoving Riley’s slick-back hairdo. The veteran commentator was a major voice on the network and had an immense reputation among athletes. As the NBA will return to NBC, his triumph over Riley is bound to bring nostalgia to many long-term NBA fans.