Pat Riley facts for kids
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Riley in 2010
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| Miami Heat | |
|---|---|
| President | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 20, 1945 Rome, New York, U.S. |
| High school | Linton (Schenectady, New York) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Kentucky (1964–1967) |
| NBA Draft | 1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall |
| Selected by the San Diego Rockets | |
| Pro career | 1967–1976 |
| Coaching career | 1979–2008 |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1967–1970 | San Diego Rockets |
| 1970–1975 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1975–1976 | Phoenix Suns |
| As coach: | |
| 1979–1981 | Los Angeles Lakers (assistant) |
| 1981–1990 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1991–1995 | New York Knicks |
| 1995–2003, 2005–2008 |
Miami Heat |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
As executive:
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 3,906 (7.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 855 (1.6 rpg) |
| Assists | 913 (1.7 apg) |
Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is a famous American basketball leader. He has been a player, an assistant coach, a head coach, and an executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Since 1995, he has been the team president and a part-owner of the Miami Heat. He also coached the Heat from 1995 to 2003 and again from 2005 to 2008.
People often call Riley "The Godfather" because he's one of the greatest NBA figures ever. He has won five NBA championships as a head coach. Four of these were with the Los Angeles Lakers during their "Showtime" era in the 1980s. He won another with the Heat in 2006. Riley has won nine NBA championships in total across his different roles. He won as a player (1972), an assistant coach (1980), a head coach (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006), and an executive (2012, 2013). He has been part of 34% of all NBA Finals since his career began through 2023.
Riley has been named NBA Coach of the Year three times. He won with the Lakers (1989–90), the New York Knicks (1992–93), and the Heat (1996–97). He also coached an NBA All-Star Game team nine times. He is the first person in North American sports to win a championship as a player, assistant coach, head coach, and executive. He has reached the NBA Finals in seven different decades. In 1996, he was named one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in NBA history. In 2008, Riley was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. He last won NBA championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013 as their team president.
Pat Riley's Early Life
Riley was born in Rome, New York. He grew up in Schenectady. His father, Leon Riley, played minor league baseball for 22 seasons. Leon even played in four games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1944.
Pat Riley played basketball for Linton High School. One famous game was in 1961 against Power Memorial. That game featured two future stars: Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Riley. Years later, Riley would coach Abdul-Jabbar with the Los Angeles Lakers.
College Basketball Star
Riley played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He played for four seasons, one on the freshman team and three on the main team. In his junior year (1965–66), he was a First Team All-SEC player. He was also named SEC Player of the Year.
He led the Wildcats to the 1966 NCAA title game. His team, coached by Adolph Rupp, lost to Texas Western (now UTEP). This game was even shown in the movie Glory Road. In his senior year, Riley was again named First Team All-SEC. This made him one of the few Kentucky players to achieve this twice.
Playing in the NBA
San Diego Rockets Years
The San Diego Rockets picked Riley as the seventh overall player in the 1967 NBA draft. Even though he didn't play college football, the Dallas Cowboys also drafted him for football. He played three seasons with the Rockets. After that, the Portland Trail Blazers picked him in a special draft in 1970.
Winning with the Lakers
The Blazers traded Riley to the Los Angeles Lakers. He played for the Lakers for five seasons. Riley was an important reserve player for the Lakers' team that won the 1972 NBA Championship.
Final Season with Suns
During the 1975–76 NBA season, Riley was traded to the Phoenix Suns. He retired from playing in 1976. Over his nine seasons, he averaged 7.4 points per game.
Coaching and Leading Teams
"Showtime" Lakers Coach
Riley returned to the NBA in 1977 as a broadcaster for the Lakers. In 1979, the Lakers' head coach, Jack McKinney, had an accident. Assistant coach Paul Westhead took over and hired Riley as his assistant. With new player Magic Johnson and star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers won the 1980 NBA Finals. This gave Riley a championship ring in his first year as a coach.
A few games into the 1981–82 season, Magic Johnson wanted to be traded. The Lakers' owner, Jerry Buss, then fired Westhead. Buss named Riley as the head coach. Riley then led the Lakers into their famous "Showtime" era. This team was known for its fast-paced style with Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. Riley became very famous for his stylish suits and slicked-back hair.
Riley was also smart about defense. He used a special defense called a 1-3-1 half-court trap. This helped speed up the game. Even though the "Showtime" Lakers were known for offense, their defense helped them win championships. Riley always said, "no rebounds, no rings," meaning they had to fight for every rebound.
Riley led the Lakers to four NBA Finals in a row. He won his first title in his first season (1982). They lost the next two Finals (1983, 1984). But in 1985, they beat the Boston Celtics to win Riley's second title.
In 1987, Riley coached a Lakers team that many consider one of the best ever. With future Hall of Famers like Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they won 65 games. They beat the Celtics in six games to win Riley's third NBA title.
After that win, Riley famously promised the crowd that the Lakers would win again. And they did! The 1988 Lakers won the NBA title, becoming the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back championships. Riley's titles with the Lakers mean he is one of only six people to play for an NBA Championship team and later coach that same team to a championship.
In 1989, Riley tried for a "three-peat" (three championships in a row). He even trademarked the phrase! The Lakers won 57 games. But key players got injured during the Finals. Without them, the Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons. Riley was named NBA Coach of the Year for the first time in 1989–90. He then left the Lakers after they lost in the playoffs.
Coaching the New York Knicks
After leaving the Lakers, Riley worked as a TV commentator for a year. Then, he became the head coach of the New York Knicks in 1991. People were impressed by how Riley changed his coaching style for the Knicks. The Knicks played a very physical, slower game, unlike his fast-paced Lakers.
In 1992, Riley's Knicks pushed the defending champion Chicago Bulls to seven games in the playoffs. The Knicks' tough defense against Bulls stars Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led to a rivalry between Riley and Bulls coach Phil Jackson. In 1993, Riley led the Knicks to one of their best regular season records ever. He won his second Coach of the Year award. The Knicks again met the Bulls in the playoffs but lost.
Riley returned to the NBA Finals in 1994. His Knicks beat the Bulls (who didn't have Michael Jordan that year). But New York lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games. Riley became the first coach to be in a Game 7 of the NBA Finals with two different teams.
Leading the Miami Heat
In 1995, Riley left the Knicks to become the president and head coach of the Miami Heat. He had full control over the team's basketball decisions. This move caused some debate. The Knicks said the Heat tried to get Riley while he was still under contract. The Heat settled this by sending a draft pick and money to the Knicks.
In his first season (1995–96), Riley improved the Heat's record by 10 wins. They lost in the playoffs to the Bulls. That season, the Heat added important players like Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway.
In 1997, Riley's Heat beat his old team, the Knicks, in a tough seven-game series. The Heat reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time. They lost again to the Bulls. Riley won Coach of the Year for the third time that year.
The Heat lost to the Knicks in the playoffs in 1998, 1999, and 2000. The team faced challenges, including Alonzo Mourning missing a season due to illness. In 2002, the Heat had their first losing season under Riley.
After a tough 2002–03 season, Riley stepped down as coach. His assistant, Stan Van Gundy, took over. In the 2003 NBA draft, the Heat picked Dwyane Wade. In 2004, Riley traded for star center Shaquille O'Neal. Wade and O'Neal led the Heat to the Eastern Conference finals in 2005. They lost to the Detroit Pistons.
In 2005, Riley became the head coach again. Van Gundy resigned, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family. Riley's Heat team beat the Pistons in the 2006 Eastern Conference finals. This was Miami's first time reaching the NBA Finals. The Heat then faced the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. Even though they lost the first two games, the Heat won the next four and their first NBA championship! This was Riley's fifth championship as a head coach.
Riley took a break from coaching in 2007 due to health issues. The Heat finished the season 44–38 but were swept in the first round of the playoffs. The next season (2007–08), the Heat had a very tough year, finishing 15–67. Many players were injured, and Shaquille O'Neal was traded.
On April 28, 2008, Riley announced he would stop coaching but stay as team president. He named Erik Spoelstra as the new head coach. Riley has had the final say in basketball decisions for the Heat since he arrived.
In 2010, Riley helped the Heat get LeBron James and Chris Bosh. They joined Dwyane Wade to form the Heat's "Big Three". Riley was named NBA Executive of the Year for the 2010–11 season. The Heat reached the NBA Finals for the next four seasons. In 2012, the Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. This gave Riley his first championship just as an executive. The Heat won again in 2013, beating the San Antonio Spurs.
In the 2019–20 season, the Heat made it to the NBA Finals even though they weren't expected to. Many people called this team Riley's "magnum opus" (greatest work). Before the season, Riley traded for Jimmy Butler and drafted Tyler Herro. They also signed Kendrick Nunn, who wasn't drafted. The Heat lost to Riley's former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in six games. In 2023, the Heat again made an unexpected run to the Finals as an 8th-seeded team. They lost to the Denver Nuggets.
Beyond the Basketball Court
Outside of basketball, Riley is known for his signature look. He has slicked-back hair and a tan. People often call him "The Godfather" because of his appearance.
In 1988, Riley wrote a book called Showtime: Inside the Lakers' Breakthrough Season. It was a bestseller. In the book, he talked about the "Disease of More." He said that success can sometimes lead to problems. He explained that after winning, players might want more playing time or more shots.
In 1993, Riley published another bestseller called The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players. This book shared lessons about teamwork and leadership from his coaching career.
Riley is also known for his friendship with fashion designer Giorgio Armani. He often wears Armani suits during games.
Riley has been married to Christine Rodstrom since 1970. They adopted a son, James Patrick, in 1985, and a daughter, Elisabeth, in 1989. Riley is a Roman Catholic.
In 2007, the Miami Heat were honored at the White House for their 2006 NBA Championship. Riley gave President George W. Bush a jersey.
Awards and Achievements
NBA
- Nine-time NBA Champion (one as a player, one as an assistant coach, five as a head coach, and two as an executive)
- Three-time NBA Coach of the Year
- Nine-time NBA All-Star Game head coach
- 2011 NBA Executive of the Year
- 2012 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award
NCAA
- 1966 First Team All-American
- Number 42 jersey retired by the Kentucky Wildcats
Halls of Fame
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008)
See also
In Spanish: Pat Riley para niños
- Pat Riley Basketball, a 1990 video game
- List of NBA championship head coaches
Images for kids
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Riley (left) and Magic Johnson in 1989
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