Lakers Legends Don’t Hold Back on Pat Riley’s ‘Vicious’ Approach

Aug 12, 2023; Springfield, MA, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley walks the red carpet at the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Few can boast the impressive resume of current Miami Heat team president and former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Pat Riley.

Riley won an NBA championship with the Lakers as a player in 1972, won five titles between his time as the head coach of the Lakers and Heat, and has won two titles as an executive with the Miami Heat.

Throw in another championship won during his time as an assistant coach with the Lakers, and Riley was an easy choice for the NBA's Top 10 Coaches in NBA History.

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Riley didn't earn nine total championship seasons without putting his player through hellish environments at times during practice.

"Vicious," Lakers Hall of Famer James Worthy responded when asked by NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson to describe Riley's discipline. "He loved his players, he understood them, he understood the personalities of each one of us. He knew how far he could push you and he was very demanding. I mean, that's what you want in a coach."

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It's been a while since Riley has been able to be in that position to hold players accountable, as he stepped down as the head coach of the Miami Heat in 2008 and has been the team president ever since. The 80-year-old, who has two kids and multiple grandchildren, is receiving playful jabs from his former players, who say he's softened his approach.

"I don't think he is, I know he has [softened up]," former Lakers star Byron Scott told Robinson. "He’s a grandad now, you know? So yeah. As we get older, we get a little softer at times. We soften up but he’s still one of those guys that will hold you accountable to a certain extent and he held us accountable."

Scott, who has spent time as the head coach for the New Jersey Nets, the New Orleans Hornets, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers, cited Riley as a major influence in his own coaching style.

Riley's Coaching Impact on Scott

"When I got into coaching, I did the same thing, you know?" Scott said. "You gotta [be] held accountable for the things you do on that basketball court and the things that you do off the basketball court so, Riles is no different than most of the guys that he played against or that he coached against in the early 80’s or 90’s."

Riley was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and continues to serve as the team president of the Miami Heat.

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