Los Angeles Lakers Announce Big News on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 5:15 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a new season led by head coach JJ Redick, starring two of the NBA's biggest stars.

LeBron James and Luka Doncic are looking to help bring an NBA title to Los Angeles, which would be their first championship win since 2020.

The Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in the NBA, having won 17 NBA titles, second to the Boston Celtics in league history.

One of the most successful names that's ever come across the franchise is Pat Riley, who currently serves a front office role with the Miami Heat.

Riley was the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and was also formerly a player for the organization.

On Thursday, the Lakers announced that Pat Riley will have his statue outside of Crypto.com Arena unveiled on Feb. 22. As Ryan Ward mentioned, the unveiling will come right before a matchup against the Boston Celtics.

Lakers announce that Pat Riley will have his statue unveiled outside of Crypto on Feb. 22 ahead of the matchup against the Celtics, which is fitting! pic.twitter.com/YSeuyEU1sD
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) August 14, 2025

Pat Riley is widely considered one of the greatest minds in NBA history.

As a player, Riley was a member of the San Diego Rockets from 1967 to 1970. He then played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1970 to 1975. Riley capped off his playing career with the Phoenix Suns, from 1975 to 1976.

Riley helped lead the Lakers to the NBA title in 1972.

Pat Riley's coaching career began with the Los Angeles Lakers. He started as an assistant with the Lakers in 1979 and wound up earning the head coaching role from 1981 to 1990.

Riley led the Lakers to four NBA titles as a head coach and won Coach of the Year on three separate occasions.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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