The Los Angeles Lakers recently announced that Pat Riley would be honored with a statue outside the Crypto.com Arena. This report prompted Dwayne Wade to reveal the details of his interaction with Riley during his own statue unveiling ceremony at Kaseya Center five weeks ago.
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Wade received a statue from the Miami Heat organization earlier in October to commemorate his decorated stint in South Beach. On his podcast, The Flash disclosed how he assumed Riley would be getting a statue before him.
“We were just talking about the moment and I was like, ’Pat, I thought you’d be the first one to get a statue here’. Like I never thought about myself getting one until they start talking about me getting one… Pat is the one who came and really changed for real for real the landscape of the Miami Heat,” Wade said.
Wade did have a huge impact on the Heat, being largely responsible for winning all of the three titles in franchise history. However, Pat Riley is often hailed as the visionary behind Miami’s success over the years.
Riley laid the foundation for the Heat culture that the team still benefits from. He played a pivotal role in convincing Shaquille O’Neal to join the Heat as well, which led to their 2006 NBA championship victory.
Later, as General Manager, Riley created the “Heatles” Superteam by bringing in LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join D-Wade. This four-year span resulted in two NBA titles. It’s clear that without Riley’s visionary leadership and brilliance, these championships would not have been possible.
The Heat did celebrate Riley’s legacy before giving a statue to Wade. Just before the 2024-2025 season began, the franchise announced that the hardwood at Kaseya Center will now be called the “Pat Riley Court”.
The Heat will eventually honor Riley with a statue someday. It seems more appropriate to award Wade first since the Miami Heat President is still a part of the organization and even is reportedly a minority owner of the franchise.
In addition, Wade and Riley share a close bond, which goes far beyond statues.
Riley and Wade have a deep connection
Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade formed an instant connection when the latter was drafted by the Heat in 2003. Since then, they have consistently held each other in high regard, showcasing mutual respect on numerous occasions. Their relationship grew beyond a typical player-coach dynamic with time as D-Wade continued to grow the franchise with his star power and dedication.
“It’s just an honor to be there, and for him to be a Miami Heat-lifer to be inducted and to have the Hall of Fame put his jersey in the rafters is gonna be an honor…I’m just so proud of him. I love him dearly,” Riley said during Wade’s Hall-of-Fame induction.
Their successful partnership played a large role in helping each other transcend into legendary status in their respective fields.
