Pat Riley admits he cheated in a high school game against Lew Alcindor: 'Kareem till this day will never admit it was fair'

"The Godfather" knew the challenge that awaited him when they squared off in a high-stakes game that would become legendary.

On that fateful day, Riley's team, led by his intense determination, pulled off a shocking 74-68 victory over Alcindor's squad. The win, however, would be marred by a crucial detail the Hall of Famer has admitted to.

"We won, but Kareem, till this day, will never admit it was fair," said Riley. "My dad was 22 years in the minor leagues as a baseball player… and he was a player-manager for the last 10 years of his baseball life; he won the championship in 1942… So my dad was in the Philly organization for a long time."

"When it came to me being in high school and playing Lew Alcindor, when he walked through that door that day, we're all looking at a legend then and somebody that's going to be even more legendary, but it wasn't a coincidence that night and that game, Teddy Brennan, who was an umpire for all my dad's games in baseball, was the official for the game that night. Kareem found out in eight minutes… we beat them 74-68, the greatest win in the history of Skin City, New York; we beat Lew Alcindor," he continued.

Future encounter

Many years later, Riley's career took him from high school star to NBA player, eventually becoming teammates with Abdul-Jabbar on the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite their history, the two would form a strong partnership on and off the court. Pat recalls a conversation with Kareem that came full circle from their high school days.

"Fast forward years later, when I coached Kareem, he said, 'I remembered that game; you cheated the first year, and you beat us, and then the next year I came back, and we won by 50, and I said, I know; I was in Kentucky. But it was incredible to watch. He was at that time a savant as a young player, and ironically, in high school, he played with him, played against him, played with him, and then coached him; it was an honor," he said.

That connection, forged in the heat of competition and solidified by years of shared success, helped "The Godfather" transition from player to coach. As the head coach of the Lakers in the 1980s, Riley would lead the team to multiple NBA championships with KAJ at the helm. Their bond, built on mutual respect and years of shared history, was a key factor in the Purple and Gold's dominance during that era.