Lakers unveil Pat Riley statue next to Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

For decades, Pat Riley has been the architect of the Miami Heat.

But he's a Los Angeles Lakers legend whose likeness was set in perpetuity Sunday with a statue outside Crypto.com Arena.

The Lakers unveiled the statue prior to Sunday's home game against the rival Boston Celtics. It fittingly stands between statues of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with whom Riley won four NBA championships as head coach of the "Showtime" Lakers.

With a host of Lakers icons watching, the curtain was lifted, and Riley's statue emerged from a flurry of purple and gold confetti. The statue is positioned with Riley holding up his right hand in a fist, his trademark signal for Johnson to deliver a pass to Abdul-Jabbar for a sky hook.

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