The Los Angeles Lakers unveiled a statue to legendary coach Pat Riley earlier this week, honoring the man who created Showtime and led them to four NBA titles in the ’80s. It was a fitting tribute to one of the best coaches of all time, and unlike some other recent NBA statues that shall not be named, this one was actually a fantastic likeness of the man it represented.
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Riley is one of the very best to ever do it, not only for what he accomplished with the Lakers, but for everything he’s done with the Heat for more than three decades since. He coached the Heat to their first title in franchise history in 2006, then later presided over two more rings and four other Finals appearances as team president.
For better or worse, Riley has always had a reputation as a no-nonsense guy. He famously butted heads with LeBron James in Miami, eventually leading to the 4 time NBA champion going back to Cleveland, but before that, he clashed with Shaquille O’Neal on multiple occasions.
On the most recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the Big Diesel was talking about his former Heat teammate Jason Williams, aka White Chocolate. As he told it, he once stood up for Williams, and less than 24 hours later, Riley retaliated by trading Shaq to the Suns.
“I got traded because of [Williams],” Shaq said. “He was late, and then Pat was like, ‘Get out,’ and I was like, ‘Nope, Jason stays,’ and Pat said, ‘You get out,’ and I said, ‘Well m***********, put me out.’ That happened by 12, I was traded by 11:30 the next day.”
Even though it was less than two years after Shaq had teamed with Dwyane Wade to win the ’06 title, he doesn’t believe he could have gotten another ring with the Heat, because he said that Riley had changed the team so much in the time since. “Pat got rid of all my players,” he said.
Shaq would go on to play a year-and-a-half in Phoenix, a year in Cleveland and a year in Boston before retiring in 2011 without winning another ring. Wade and Riley would win two more after LeBron and Chris Bosh came to town. They lost the Finals to the Mavericks in 2011, then beat the Thunder and Spurs in 2012 and 2013, before San Antonio got revenge on them in 2014 and essentially ended their run.
Shaq has always been known as a guy who has his teammate’s backs, and though Riley is set in his ways, his success is undeniable, too. Sometimes when big personalities come together, greatness follows, but oftentimes, there’s friction. One day you’re winning a title, and the next you’re in Phoenix and changing your name to Big Cactus.
Despite the trade, Shaq has no ill will towards Riley, and in a video to congratulate him for his recent statue, he told the story of the time he chased Riley in practice only to be shocked when the legendary coach stood his ground and faced him anyway. He concluded the video by saying, “Congratulations coach, I love you.”
