“Grudging Admiration”: Putting Rivalry With Lakers Aside, Larry Bird Felt Deep Sadness Upon Pat Riley’s Exit in 1990

Larry Bird had always been in stark competition with the Los Angeles Lakers through almost the entirety of his career. The cutthroat competition between him and Lakers’ Magic Johnson was one of the primary attractions to watching basketball during the ’70s and the ’80s decade. However, when the Lakers coach Pat Riley decided to depart from the franchise in 1990, the decision had left the Celtics legend heartbroken.

In his career, Bird has won three NBA championships and one of them came from his three Finals appearances against Magic Johnson and the Lakers in 1984. Though Johnson and the Lakers had a significant edge against Bird’s Celtics, losing colleagues who drove Bird’s competitive spirit was definitely a huge blow for him. All of these instances are greatly detailed in the book, ‘When the Game Was Ours,’ co-authored by Bird and Magic Johnson.

Larry Bird was deeply saddened by Pat Riley’s departure from the Lakers organization in 1990

The Lakers, led by Pat Riley through the ’80s decade, were a force to reckon with. Having superstar Magic Johnson in the team, the Los Angeles side propelled the competitive drive of their fiercest Eastern Conference rivals, Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics. The ’80s decade was defined by this driving rivalry between these two teams and their two best players in the league. Hence, when the core members, such as Pat Riley, resigned from the Lakers, Larry Bird felt a tinge of sadness during that time. Here is an excerpt from his book ‘When the Game Was Ours’ which aptly describes Bird’s emotions during that time.

“On the day Pat Riley’s resignation was announced, Larry Bird felt a tinge of sadness he couldn’t quite explain. Even though he had never played for Riley, Bird believed he was the best tactician he’d ever seen. Riley’s innovative responses to Boston’s offensive sets had earned Bird’s grudging admiration, although he never—ever—admitted it publicly.”

During his early years in the league, Larry Bird admittedly hated the Lakers and rival Magic Johnson. This fueled the cut-throat competition between them even further, with the Los Angeles side having a significant edge over Boston during their Finals appearances. Coach Pat Riley always had the most innovative and intuitive responses to Boston’s offensive prowess, which Larry Bird soon grew to admire. Perhaps, this led Bird to believe in coach Pat Riley’s skills as a master tactician, one of the best in his job.

Magic Johnson had an emotional response to Riley’s departure from the Lakers

Pat Riley’s resignation had not only shocked Larry Bird but had an impact on Magic Johnson as well. Coach Riley had defined the era of the ‘Showtime Lakers’ with his master tactics and helped blossom Magic Johnson and former teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar into worthy champions. In response to Riley’s resignation, Johnson issued the following statement through his publicist.

“Pat Riley has helped me grow as a basketball player as well as a man and I will always love him for it. Pat was much more than a coach to me, he has been my friend and a inspiration. When I was down, he was able to pick me up and help make me the best basketball player and person that I could be. When I’m older and somebody talks about ‘Showtime,’ the first person I’ll think of is Pat Riley. . . . I wish Pat the best of luck in whatever he does, and I will definitely miss him.”

Pat Riley’s era in the Lakers will always be cherished as a golden age for the team. As a player, Riley had won the 1972 NBA championship with the Lakers. Eventually, when he returned as a coach, he helped his team win five NBA championships and heralded a new age of success for the Los Angeles side.