MIAMI — It’s rare that Pat Riley doesn’t get to make the final call when it comes to Miami Heat matters. After all, he is the president. The person in charge. Just about every big decision needs his approval.
Except this one.
To commemorate the start of his 30th season with the franchise, the Heat will unveil Pat Riley Court on Wednesday night when the team faces the Orlando Magic. Riley didn’t want his name on the court yet, because he’s still working. But the two people who outrank him in the organization - managing general partner Micky Arison and CEO Nick Arison - decided otherwise. That’s how important it was to them, to make sure the 30th season of Riley started with a bang.
It’s the start of a week filled with tributes for the Heat, who will unveil a statue celebrating the career of Basketball Hall of Fame player and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade on Sunday.
“Thirty years, three championships, countless moments - none of it would have been possible without Pat Riley at the helm of the ship,” Micky Arison said. “Pat has accomplished so much for this franchise and this city that it’s only fitting his name is forever etched on the hardwood where every day we will be reminded of his impact on the game and the Heat.”
The wording there - “helm of the ship” - is fitting. Micky Arison is chairman of Carnival Corporation, and it was aboard a Carnival ship named Imagination where Arison introduced Riley as the team’s president and head coach on Sept. 2, 1995. Riley was given a 10-year contract. He never left. And even though he turns 80 in March, there are no retirement plans.
In the first 29 seasons under Riley, the Heat have the second-best regular-season record in the NBA behind San Antonio - another team that has had uninterrupted stability at the top of its organization, with Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford there for around the same amount of time that Riley has been in Miami.
“It goes fast. And I didn’t realize just how fast it goes, and it seems like it’s going faster every day,” Riley said. “But it’s been a blessing for me. It’s unbelievable that I could stay here that long, that anybody in this league could stay somewhere that long. And I do thank, sincerely, Micky for bypassing those moments where he probably wanted to ship me out of town. There were those days, but both of us have stayed together. And I think that’s what’s important.”
It’s not just Riley and Arison who have stayed together. Since Riley got to Miami, the Heat ship has been as stable as can be. There are a handful of team executives and coaches entering their 30th season - or longer - with the Heat this year. Among them: coach Erik Spoelstra, who is entering Year 30 with the franchise.
He started in the video room (getting hired shortly before Riley arrived), eventually became an assistant coach and then was Riley’s hand-picked successor as head coach in 2008. This is Spoelstra’s 17th season in that role, the second-longest current tenure in the league behind Popovich.
“Pat saw something in me that I didn’t see,” Spoelstra said. “I didn’t know if I was really ready, or if I was prepared for this. And he just kind of pushed me uncomfortably. I’m always grateful for that, for this opportunity to work for this franchise. I do not take that continuity for granted.”
Riley is a nine-time NBA champion; six of those rings came with the Los Angeles Lakers - four as head coach, one as an assistant and one as a player. The last three came with the Heat in 2006, 2012 and 2013. His 1,210 regular-season wins as a coach still rank fifth in NBA history; his 171 playoff wins rank second.
The Heat court won’t be the first thing that bears Riley’s name in permanent tribute. In Schenectady, New York, the city near Albany where he was raised and was a high school star before playing college basketball at Kentucky, the school’s athletic complex has been called the Pat Riley Sports Center since 1997.
“When Pat came here in ’95, he wanted to create a culture that was respected beyond even this league, but across all of the leagues - professional leagues and worldwide,” Spoelstra said. “That’s a big responsibility. I take that to heart, and that’s why I’m very motivated every single year to get a team to compete for that highest prize.”
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