Oct 28, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; A general view of the new Dwyane Wade statue in front of the Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Ex-Lakers Star Hilariously Trolls Dwyane Wade Over Pat Riley Statue

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 11:57 AM ET

NBA icon Pat Riley is finally getting a statue from the Los Angeles Lakers. Riley coached the Lakers to four titles during the 1980s. One of his former players, Mychal Thompson, recently spoke on the statue presentation.

He said the Lakers need to do Riley justice instead of what the Miami Heat did to Dwyane Wade. Last year the Heat gave Wade a statue, which drew bad reviews from fans.

Here's what Thompson posted on X: "YAAAY Pat Riley’s FINALLY gonna get a statue in LA but they better NOT hire Wade’s statue sculptor or else Riley will end up lookin like Abe Lincoln…"

YAAAY Pat Riley’s FINALLY gonna get a statue in LA but they better NOT hire Wade’s statue sculptor or else Riley will end up lookin like Abe Lincoln…
— Mychal Thompson (@champagnennuts) August 15, 2025

LAKERS TRAINER TELLS HILARIOUS STORY

Los Angeles Lakers Gary Vitti saw it all during his years in the NBA. He was with the team for 32 years, ranging from the Showtime years with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant three-peat.

He has plenty of stories but told a recent one about former Lakers guard Sedale Threatt during an appearance on Byron Scott's Fastbreak podcast. The story stems from Threatt getting injured in a game.

"I didn't see it," Vitti said. "So I go, `where'd you get hurt? He goes, `over there.' I'm not trying to laugh. I said, `Man, where on your body did you get hurt?"'

Vitti never got an answer from Threatt on the injury. The player only said he was in pain from something that took him out of the game.

"The only thing he can say to me is, `G, my (bleep) is broke," he said. "So I come up with, `Is it your left (bleep) or your right (bleep). All he could say is left."'

Welcome to the life on an NBA trainer.

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This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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