Pat Riley Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Pat Riley
OCCUPATION: Basketball Player, Coach, Football Player
BIRTH DATE: March 20, 1945 (Age: 68)
EDUCATION: University of Kentucky
PLACE OF BIRTH: Rome, New York
AKA: Pat Riley
Full Name: Patrick James Riley
AKA: Patrick Riley
ZODIAC SIGN: Aries

Best Known For

Basketball coach Patrick James Riley participated in both basketball and football, playing professionally with the San Diego Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.

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Patrick James Riley

APA Style

Patrick James Riley. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:26, May 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350.

Harvard Style

Patrick James Riley. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350 [Accessed 19 May 2013].

MLA Style

"Patrick James Riley." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 19 2013, 07:26 http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350.

MHRA Style

"Patrick James Riley," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350 [accessed May 19, 2013].

Chicago Style

"Patrick James Riley," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350 (accessed May 19, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

Patrick James Riley [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350.

Bluebook Style

Patrick James Riley, http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350 (last visited May 19, 2013).

AMA Style

Patrick James Riley. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/pat-riley-16730350. Accessed May 19, 2013.

Synopsis

Born in New York in 1945, Pat Riley participated in both basketball and football, playing professionally with the San Diego Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. He helped the latter win the NBA title in 1972 before retiring from play in 1976. In 1990, amid rumors of player mistreatment and anger problems, Riley stepped down as coach of the Lakers. Despite this, he was named NBA Coach of the Year twice.

Early Life and Career

Famed basketball coach Pat Riley was born Patrick James Riley on March 20, 1945, in Rome, New York. As a student at the University of Kentucky, Riley participated in both basketball and football, playing professionally with the San Diego Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. He helped the latter win the NBA title in 1972 before retiring from play in 1976.

Coaching the L.A. Lakers

Riley returned to the Lakers as an assistant coach in 1980, leading the team to the NBA Finals as head coach in 1983, 1984 and 1986. Riley and his Lakers won the championship title in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988—marking him as the second winningest coach in NBA history, behind Lenny Wilkens.

In 1990, amid rumors of player mistreatment and anger problems, Riley stepped down as coach of the Lakers. Despite this, he was named NBA Coach of the Year.

Coaching the New York Knicks

After a brief stint as an NBC commentator, Riley became head coach for the New York Knicks in 1991. He was named Coach of the Year in 1993 and took the team to the NBA Finals in 1994.

In 1995, Riley resigned his post at the Knicks and became head coach and general manager of the Miami Heat, where he was named Coach of the Year again in 1997. After stepping down as coach for several years to concentrate on his general manager duties, he resumed coaching in 2005 with an all-star team. After a rough season with the Miami Heat, Riley officially retired from coaching in 2008. He still remains the president of the team.