Pat Riley has been a part of the league since 1967. In many ways, he is the definition of old-school basketball when players were required to be tough, and was okay for coaches to run a tight ship. However, in the modern era, Riley’s stringent rules are being frowned upon. But that’s not the unanimous consensus as former players like Nick Young are speaking in his support.
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On an episode of Gil’s Arena, Young berated the new generation for being too “soft.” The former Warrior stood by Riley’s rules and the Heat Culture, backing everything the 79-year-old stands for.
He said, “Pat Riley doing the same sh*t everybody else doing. Y’all mad because y’all gotta run. Get your fat a** up and run.” Young mocked new players who are unwilling to do the bare minimum. The 39-year-old urged Riley to continue on his path, even if it ticks off some players. “Pat Riley keep doing your thing…Motherf***ers is soft out this b*tch.”
NBA champion Nick Young defends the Pat Riley hate
“Pat Riley doing the same everybody else doing. People mad because they got to run. Get your fat A** up and run. I’m so mad I don’t want to go there he gonna make me run, f*ck that! Pat Riley keep doing your thing…MFers is soft… pic.twitter.com/osalMqtwKZ
— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) January 22, 2025
There are several rules that Riley likes his players to adhere to. The most notable of which is the 13% body fat rule. The Godfather didn’t allow his athletes to have over 13% body fat. He had a fallout with Shaquille O’Neal over the same. Recently, Heat legend Dwyane Wade talked about how Riley runs a tight ship in Miami on his podcast.
He said, “LeBron James only stayed four years. It wasn’t ran the way LeBron James wanted it to be ran. It wasn’t ran the way Dwyane Wade [wanted]…It’s ran the way Pat Riley is gonna run it.”
Dwyane Wade on his “your either in or out” comments on statue night
“I wanted them to know if you don’t want to be here and the way things are working here… then don’t be here. This is not the org for that… Lebron only stayed 4 years, it wasn’t ran the way he wanted it to, it… pic.twitter.com/PipYohWDY8
— Heat Culture (@HeatCulture13) January 15, 2025
It has made the Heat an undesirable destination for free agents. As much as some players don’t like to abide by the rules, it’s unlikely that Riley is going to change his ways.
Gilbert Arenas believes that Pat Riley is overrated
Riley’s coaching tenure from 1979 to 2008 is considered to be one of the best ever. He has won five championships as a coach and has been awarded the NBA Coach of the Year title thrice. Despite that, Gilbert Arenas doesn’t buy into the hype around Riley. He believes that the 79-year-old was only good because of the “generational talent” around him.
On an episode of his podcast, Arenas said that Riley’s legacy couldn’t stand without generational talents like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, D-Wade, Shaq, and LeBron James. As per Arenas, anyone can make history with that lineup.
He said, “You never won championships with teams.” Arenas believes that Jimmy Butler is the only non-generational talent who brought Riley very close to the ultimate glory, twice.
