Riley, Pat (1945-…), ranks among the most successful coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before starting his coaching career, Riley was a star basketball player in college and played in the NBA for nine seasons. Riley was named Coach of the Year in the NBA in 1990, 1993, and 1997. He coached the Los Angeles Lakers to NBA championships in 1981-1982, 1984-1985, 1986-1987, and 1987-1988 and the Miami Heat to the NBA championship in 2005-2006.
Patrick James Riley was born in Rome, New York, on March 20, 1945. He played at the University of Kentucky from 1964 to 1967. The San Diego Rockets of the NBA selected him as the seventh player in the 1967 draft. He played for San Diego for three seasons and the Lakers for five seasons. Los Angeles traded Riley to Phoenix in 1975, and he retired as a player in 1976.
Riley was a broadcaster for Laker games from 1977 to 1979, when he became an assistant coach with the team. He was named head coach of the Lakers in 1981. He left Los Angeles in 1990 and was a television analyst for a season with the National Broadcasting Company. Riley was head coach of the New York Knicks from 1991 to 1995, when he joined the Miami Heat as head coach and team president. Riley resigned as head coach in 2003 but remained as team president. He served as Miami’s head coach again from December 2005 to April 2008, retaining his position as president. Riley’s 1,210 career victories as an NBA head coach rank him fifth among NBA coaches, behind Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, and Gregg Popovich. In 2008, Riley was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
