Lakers Great Pat Riley Inducted into HOF

Lakers legendary coach Pat Riley will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September, 2008. Riley was originally drafted by the San Diego Rockets in the opening round of the 1967 NBA Draft. He was later signed by the Los Angeles Lakers and was a member of the team that won the 1972 NBA Championship. Some of his teammates were Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, and Jerry West. But, he was never a truly productive player, as he spent nearly his entire career on the bench. He retired after the 1975-76 season.

Riley was named head coach of the Lakers during the 1981-82 season, and reached the finals that year and for the next three years. In the first of the four consecutive finals appearances, the Lakers beat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games. In a rematch the very next season, the Lakers were swept by the 76ers. In 1984, Riley’s Lakers lost in the finals again, this time to the Boston Celtics in seven games. The next year was a rematch series with the Celtics, which the Lakers took in six games.

In 1987 Pat Riley lead the Lakers to yet another championship as he was privileged to coach what has been called one of the best teams ever. Some of the players included Earvin “Magic” Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The team capped off the 65-17 season with a win in the finals over the Celtics in six games. During the post-championship celebration in downtown L.A., Riley guaranteed that a repeat championship would occur the next season. The guarantee was fulfilled as the Lakers dispatched the Pistons in seven games. Coming very close to a “three-peat,” the Lakers were swept by the Pistons in the 1989 championship.

Still in the NBA as the head coach of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley won one championship as a player and has so far won five championships as a head coach. He was also a member of the Kentucky University basketball team that lost to Texas Western in the finals. This occurrence was made popular by the movie Glory Road. He currently has won over 900 games as a head coach, a number that would take nearly 11 perfect seasons to reach.

Pat Riley was introduced at halftime of the Memphis-Kansas national championship game. He was introduced along with future inductees Adrian Dantley, Patrick Ewing, Dick Vitale, and Hakeem Olajuwon.