Pat Riley
American basketball player, coach, and executive

Pat Riley

American basketball player, coach, and executive
Alternative Title: Patrick James Riley

Pat Riley, in full Patrick James Riley, (born March 20, 1945, Rome, New York, U.S.), American basketball player, coach, and executive who was one of the most successful National Basketball Association (NBA) coaches of all time. Riley filed for a trademark on the term three-peat when he was head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988, even though the team had only two consecutive titles under its belt. That confidence sums up the career and legacy of Riley, one of the most brash, charismatic, and successful figures in the game’s history. When other coaches might have balked at taking jobs in high-profile cities like Los Angeles or New York, Riley made these pressure-filled gigs his calling. In an era when NBA players first achieved true global superstar status, Riley was the rare coach who ascended right alongside them.

A ball swishes through the net at a basketball game in a professional arena.
Britannica Quiz
Basketball Quiz
In basketball, what is it called when the referee puts the ball into play by tossing it up between two opponents who try to tap it to a teammate?

Riley excelled at both basketball and football as a youth. He played basketball for legendary coach Adolph Rupp at the University of Kentucky, where Riley put together one of that school’s most impressive careers. He led the team to the 1966 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship game, where they lost a history-making contest to Texas Western University (now the University of Texas at El Paso)—the first team to win the NCAA title with an all-African American starting lineup. Riley was selected by the San Diego Rockets in the first round of the 1967 NBA draft, as well as by the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League draft that same year. He stuck with basketball and went on to win a title with the Lakers in 1972 but was never more than a role player during his on-court professional career.

Riley retired in 1976 and one year later joined the Lakers as a broadcaster. In 1979 he became an assistant coach for the team, and he was promoted to head coach early in the 1981–82 season when young star Magic Johnson clashed with incumbent coach Paul Westhead. Later that season Riley won his first championship ring as a head coach. The Lakers would go on to win three more under Riley (1985, 1987, and 1988). The flashy, dominant team built around Johnson and venerable centre Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was dubbed “Showtime” and clashed mightily with the Boston Celtics throughout the decade. Riley, with his slicked-back hair and expensive suits, was the ideal sporting symbol of 1980s excess and cunning. He secured the term three-peat with the expectation of a championship in 1989, but the Lakers’ reign was ended by the upstart Detroit Pistons. In 1990 Riley stepped down. He won NBA Coach of the Year for that season even though his exit from Los Angeles had much to do with clubhouse friction. (He would win additional Coach of the Year honours in 1993 and 1997.)

In 1991 Riley resurfaced as head coach of the New York Knicks, and he again posted superb records but failed to win a title during his tenure. Notably, the Knicks played a gritty, physical game that could not have been further from Showtime, proving Riley’s versatility as a coach. In 1995 he moved on to coach the Miami Heat, and instantly an intense rivalry with the Knicks was born. Riley stayed at that post until 2003, when he stepped back to concentrate on front-office duties. However, he returned to the sidelines during the 2005–06 season and won another title at the end of that season guiding the play of stars Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal.


Riley stopped coaching after the 2007–08 season but retained his front-office duties. He was instrumental in convincing LeBron James to come to Miami in free agency in 2010, a move that led to two additional titles for the franchise (2012 and 2013). Even though he was no longer the team’s head coach, there was no doubt that Riley still loomed large. Frequently mocked and even reviled for his carriage, Riley was nevertheless one of the sport’s most compelling—and influential—figures. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Bethlehem Shoals
Pat Riley
Additional Information
Check out Britannica's new site for parents!
Subscribe Today!