LeBron James’ ‘guts’ were publicly questioned by $90M Heat GM in a press conference 

Miami Heat President Pat Riley didn’t mince his words during a press interaction before LeBron James’ departure.

One of the best minds at the executive level, Pat Riley, has been the backbone of the Miami Heat franchise for over two decades. The former NBA player also served as the head coach for the team and is the face behind building one of the best cultures among the other 29-teams.

The Heat organization is a well-oiled machine, embracing the hustle mentality, with teammates always having each other’s back. Unlike many other franchises, Riley and co draw a demarcation between the players and management when it comes to making important decisions.

A top-15 coach of all time, the Heat President is not one to be bullied into making decisions. In what many believe, Riley was the architect behind the league’s first super team, with the Big 3 boasting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Also read: Billionaire LeBron James played the game of his life to save his legacy and keep Pat Riley from breaking up the Heat in 2012

In their 4-years together, the Heat made the Finals each time, winning 2-titles. However, post their loss to the Spurs in the 2014 Finals, things turned sour between James and Riley, with the former deciding to return to his hometown Cleveland.

“If you got the guts, don’t find the first door and run out of it”: Pat Riley ahead of LeBron James’ return to Cleveland

Though Riley may not have been as blunt as Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, he did not hesitate to take a dig at James’ potential decision to leave Miami. At the time, reports in the media suggested that Bron wasn’t willing to take a pay cut as the Heat looked to make changes to their roster.

Despite the Heat management making all amends to keep the dynasty intact, LBJ would head to Cleveland to deliver on his promise. A few days before James’ exit from Miami, Riley sent out a public warning to James.

“This stuff is hard,” said the three-time coach of the year. “And you gotta stay together if you got the guts, don’t find the first door and run out of it. If you have an opportunity.”

Nevertheless, with time Riley understood James’ decision to return to Cleveland, saying the following.

“I thought it was the most normal thing for him to do,” said the Heat President. “Somewhere in your life, you have to clean up something and be able to move on. I always felt that even after he left Cleveland and came to Miami for professional reasons, he’s going to have to go back to his hometown one day, or he’s going to have a scarlet letter on him for the rest of his life.”

Via: The Athletic

The former Heat coach even had a segment during the NBA’s 75th-anniversary episode featuring LBJ.

Also read: “LeBron James is the closest thing to Magic Johnson because of everything he can do”: When Pat Riley drew comparisons between The King and his pick for the “GOAT”