It’s unusual for Pat Riley not to have the final say on Miami Heat decisions. As the president, he is the main authority, and most big choices need his approval. But this time is different.
To celebrate his 30th season with the team, the Heat will reveal Pat Riley Court on Wednesday night during the game against the Orlando Magic. Riley didn’t want his name on the court yet because he was still actively working.
However, the two people above him in the organization—managing general partner Micky Arison and CEO Nick Arison—felt it was important to honor him this way as the 30th season begins.
This week will be full of celebrations for the Heat, including a statue honoring Dwyane Wade, a Basketball Hall of Fame player and three-time NBA champion, which will be unveiled on Sunday.
“Thirty years, three championships, countless moments — none of it would have been possible without Pat Riley at the helm of the ship,” Micky Arison said.
“Pat has accomplished so much for this franchise and this city that it’s only fitting his name is forever etched on the hardwood where every day we will be reminded of his impact on the game and the Heat.”
The phrase “helm of the ship” is meaningful. Micky Arison is the chairman of Carnival Corporation, and he introduced Riley as the team’s president and head coach aboard a Carnival ship named Imagination on September 2, 1995. Riley was given a 10-year contract and has never left. Even though he will turn 80 in March, he has no plans to retire.
In the first 29 seasons with Riley, the Heat have the second-best regular-season record in the NBA, just behind San Antonio. San Antonio has also enjoyed stability at the top, with Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford being there for nearly as long as Riley has been in Miami.
“It goes fast. And I didn’t realize just how fast it goes, and it seems like it’s going faster every day,” Riley said. “But it’s been a blessing for me. It’s unbelievable that I could stay here that long, that anybody in this league could stay somewhere that long.
And I do thank, sincerely, Micky for bypassing those moments when he probably wanted to ship me out of town. There were those days, but both of us have stayed together. And I think that’s what’s important.”
It’s not just Riley and Arison who have remained together. Since Riley arrived in Miami, the Heat organization has been very stable. Several team executives and coaches are starting their 30th season—or longer—with the Heat this year. Among them is coach Erik Spoelstra, who is beginning Year 30 with the franchise.
He started in the video room (getting hired shortly before Riley arrived), later became an assistant coach, and was then chosen by Riley as head coach in 2008. This is Spoelstra’s 17th season in that role, which is the second-longest current tenure in the league after Popovich.
“Pat saw something in me that I didn’t see,” Spoelstra said. “I didn’t know if I was really ready, or if I was prepared for this. And he just kind of pushed me uncomfortably.
I’m always grateful for that, for this opportunity to work for this franchise. I do not take that continuity for granted.”
Riley is a nine-time NBA champion; six of those championships were with the Los Angeles Lakers—four as head coach, one as an assistant, and one as a player.
The last three titles were with the Heat in 2006, 2012, and 2013. His 1,210 regular-season wins as a coach still rank fifth in NBA history, and his 171 playoff wins rank second.
The Heat court will not be the first place to honor Riley’s name permanently. In Schenectady, New York, near Albany, where he grew up and excelled in high school before playing college basketball at Kentucky, the athletic complex has been named the Pat Riley Sports Center since 1997.
“When Pat came here in ’95, he wanted to create a culture that was respected beyond even this league, but across all of the leagues — professional leagues and worldwide,” Spoelstra said.
“That’s a big responsibility. I take that to heart, and that’s why I’m very motivated every single year to get a team to compete for that highest prize.”
