The Miami Heat have found a new way to honor longtime team president Pat Riley.
When they open the season later this month, they will do so playing on the new Pat Riley Court at the Kaseya Center. The team announced this week that it will officially dedicate the floor at its arena in Riley’s honor.
“This has been one hell of a trip [owner] Mickey [Arison] and I took together for the last 30 years,” Riley said in a statement. “The goal from day one was to win, and win big. We did. We won championships, sprayed each other with champagne, held parades, celebrated on this floor, in this arena, in the streets with our great fans and hung the names of our greatest players from the roof.
“Naming the court after me would make my parents very proud. It is a great, great honor for myself, [wife] Chris and my family.”
Riley enters his 30th season running the Heat this fall. After a long run with both the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won four championships, and the New York Knicks, Riley was hired as the Heat’s head coach before the 1995-96 campaign. He compiled a 454-395 record over the next 11 seasons and helped lead the franchise to a championship in 2006 with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal.
He moved into the front office in 2008, where he helped acquire LeBron James and lead the Heat to another pair of NBA titles and four consecutive NBA Finals appearances. Riley was also named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
The Heat went 46-36 last season and made the playoffs for the fifth straight year under coach Erik Spoelstra, who took over for Riley in 2008. They will officially open the regular season on October 23 against the Orlando Magic.
