The Lakers Legend has a monument again: The statue of Pat Riley is unveiled on February 23, 2026, and the battle of yellow and green witnesses the moment of glory

On this special day on August 15, the Lakers officially brought a big news to the majority of fans: the full schedule of the 2025-26 season is officially announced, and the most eye-catching one is that the team will unveil the statue for legendary coach Pat Riley during their home match against the Celtics on February 23, 2026. This decision will undoubtedly make the Staples Center the focus of the basketball world and add a stronger historical atmosphere to the rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics.

Pat Riley, the 80-year-old basketball giant, has a long history with the Lakers. He was the designer behind the Lakers' Showtime era in the 1980s. He used his unique coaching philosophy and tactical system to create a champion team that scares the entire league. In his nine seasons coaching the Lakers, he has achieved an amazing record of 533 wins and 194 losses, and has an impressive record of 102 wins and 47 losses in the playoffs. In 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988, under his leadership, the Lakers won the championship trophy four times, including two in 1985 and 1987, and directly defeated their old rival Celtics in the finals, allowing the glory of the Purple and Gold Legion to shine at the peak of the basketball world. You know, before Riley, the Lakers coach always returned in a miserable way against the Celtics in the finals, and his arrival completely rewritten this history.

Not only that, before coaching the Lakers, Riley was closely linked to the Lakers' championship glory. In 1980, he received a championship ring as a Lakers assistant coach. As early as 1972, as a Lakers player, he personally participated in the championship team that created the 33-game winning streak myth and won the championship with the team. That winning streak has not been broken yet. It can be said that Riley's career is almost a brief history of the Lakers' championship. He has won a total of 6 championships with the Lakers, and such achievements are rare in NBA history.

Riley's basketball career is not limited to the Lakers. When he was a player, he played for the San Diego Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns. After retiring, his coaching footprints were even spread across the Lakers, the Knicks and the Heat. In the Knicks, he built a team of iron-blooded troops, leading the team to the finals in 1993-94 seasons and winning the runner-up; in the Heat, he returned to the world in 2005-06 seasons and led the team to win the first championship in team history. His impressive results in the 1210-win season in history, as well as his three NBA Coach of the Year awards in the 1989-90 season, 1992-93 season, and 1996-97 seasons are enough to prove his outstanding achievements in coaching.

As general manager, Riley also showed extraordinary vision and excellent management skills. The combination of James, Wade and Bosh, he personally created, has allowed the Heat to advance to the Finals for four consecutive years and won the championship twice, writing a strong mark for the Heat's history, and he has become a well-deserved legend of the Heat.

Now, the Lakers have chosen to unveil Pat Riley's statue during the game against the Celtics, undoubtedly the highest tribute to his brilliant career. This is not only the Lakers' recognition of Riley's contribution to the team, but also a deep remembrance of those glorious years. At that time, when Riley's statue stands outside the Staples Center, he will join Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and other Lakers legends to become an eternal symbol of the Lakers' history, inspiring generations of Lakers players and fans to work tirelessly for the glory of the Purple and Gold Army. On February 23, 2026, let us look forward to this historic moment together and witness the birth of another monument to the Lakers legend.