In 1981, owner Jerry Buss held a confusing press conference in which he sought to explain he was splitting the coaching role between West and then-assistant Pat Riley. West wasn’t having it.

Pat Riley quickly ... sought to acquire Jerry Tarkanian as their head coach, the demise of his close friend forced him to re-evaluate his priorities. This led owner Jerry Buss to appoint Jack ...

Pat Riley (50-21) 1980-1981 Dr. Jerry Buss Bill Sharman Paul Westhead 1979-1980 Dr. Jerry Buss Bill Sharman Jack McKinney (10-4) Paul Westhead (50-18) 1978-1979 Jack Kent Cooke Bill Sharman Jerry ...

Pat Riley on why he wore the Armani suits as a coach: "I was trying to create an image of what a coach should look like on the sidelines. And I did" Initially, Buss leaned more on wanting Jerry ...

In response, owner Jeanie Buss took the opportunity to explain just how vital Riley was to establishing the Lakers' winning culture: "Pat is a Lakers ... Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant ...

“Pat is a Lakers icon,” Buss said ... to life!” Riley will become the eighth Laker to have a statue outside of their home arena, joining Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West ...

The Los Angeles Lakers announced Monday that Pat ... Riley, 79, got the news from Buss on a video call on Monday, according to the Lakers. Also on the call were Riley's wife, Chris; Jerry West's ...

"Pat is a Lakers icon," Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement announcing ... Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West also have statues. Riley's statue is expected to be completed in 2026.