Miami Heat team president Pat Riley continues basking in the honors.
The Heat opened the new season by renaming the Kaseya Center floor in Riley’s honor Oct. 23. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Lakers—where Riley won six total championships between his playing and coaching careers—announced they will celebrate the Hall of Famer with a statue on Star Plaza.
Riley thanked Lakers owner and president Jeanie Buss in a statement Wednesday.
“One of my first messages to the team was ‘The journey of a thousand miles starts with our first step. Where it takes you, is up to us,’” Riley said. “And it took us to five championships in the 80’s with the Showtime Lakers.
“It was a hell of a journey and the fact that it’s ending with the arrival of a statue is mind blowing to me. I’d like to thank Jeanie and the entire Buss family for this honor.”
Buss called Riley a “Lakers icon” in a statement earlier this week. Lakers coach JJ Redick added he was “very happy” for Riley.
“He’s a legend in the game of basketball,” Redick told reporters Monday. “And obviously did a lot for this franchise … So I’m very happy for him. Well deserved.”
Riley is the eighth Lakers legend to earn a statue in Star Plaza. The others are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and longtime broadcaster Chick Hearn.
HEAT DROP IN PLAYER RANKINGS
This week’s power rankings weren’t kind to the Heat.
Then again, a 6-7 start and a viral loss don’t exactly land most teams in the top 10.
ESPN released its latest power rankings Nov. 20. Miami finished 18th of 30 (or 13th-worst, depending on your perspective) after going 1-2 last week.
Those three games included a memorable last-second Nov. 12 loss to the Pistons. Coach Erik Spoelstra earned a technical foul when he called a timeout with none left late in overtime.
The Pistons sank a winning free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining.
NBA.com also ranked the Heat 18th this week, a two-spot drop from last week.
JAQUEZ LOOKS TO BOUNCE BACK
Jaime Jaquez is an integral part of the Miami Heat rotation this season, averaging 23 minutes across nine games.
Jaquez sustained a high ankle sprain Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers, forcing him to miss Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. His playing status is day to day.
Jaquez’s availability is frustrating to say the least. When asked how difficult this season has been in terms of being able to get on the court, the 2023 first round draft pick had this to say:
“It’s been tough,” Jaquez said. “Missing games is never easy, especially when you work so hard in the offseason to get physically and mentally ready. I’m staying focused on my recovery, supporting my teammates from the sidelines, and doing everything I can to get back to 100 percent as soon as possible.”
BUTLER CONTINUES CLIMBING SCORING LIST
Butler scored 30 points in Monday’s blowout victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. In the process, he passed former All-Stars Tim Hardaway Sr. and Goran Dragić among the Heat’s leading scorers.
Butler ended Monday night with 6,363 points in a Heat uniform, good enough for ninth place all-time. He surpassed Hardaway (6,335) and entered the top 10 early in the game.
Later in the night, Butler moved past Dragić, who scored 6,348 points in his seven seasons with the Heat.
Butler’s next target is another former teammate. Udonis Haslem has a 223-point lead on Butler for eighth place.
