- 2 days ago
ESPN host and NBA analyst Jorge Sedano joins the show to recap Pat Riley’s celebration in Los Angeles and why it’s important he is being given his flowers by the NBA.
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00:00George Sedano's on the Toyota of Hollywood hotline.
00:03You can hear him every morning on ESPN Los Angeles,
00:07and you see him all over ESPN, especially during NBA season.
00:12And we were talking about the unveiling of the Pat Riley statue yesterday
00:17in Los Angeles.
00:19That was a cool moment, right, George?
00:21Like, I was asking Crowder and Solana, like,
00:24is Pat Riley still beloved in Los Angeles or have the years
00:30in his association with another team diminished some of the love
00:35that Los Angelians have had for him?
00:39They're Angelenos.
00:40Oh, Los Angelians.
00:42No, no loss, just Angelenos.
00:45And by the way, Pat Riley, this is not a background.
00:49This is really, I was on a hiking trail.
00:51Pat Riley lives that way somewhere when he is here in Los Angeles.
00:58Go to his house.
00:58Let's see if we can get to his house by the time this segment's over.
01:01Yeah, don't believe that'll be the case.
01:04Definitely not walking nor swimming and certainly not in L.A. traffic.
01:08But the short answer to your question is absolutely.
01:11I think that Pat Riley will always be beloved.
01:13Now, I think younger people have to be educated to Pat Riley,
01:18and I think because Magic Johnson specifically and Kareem are still around,
01:23particularly Magic is around in a big way here in L.A.
01:26I mean, he's a big part of the Dodgers ownership group, right?
01:30He's still very front and center with the Lakers,
01:33even though he doesn't really have a technical role with them.
01:37So I think he embodies that spirit of the Showtime Lakers,
01:41so they always get their just due.
01:43And I think it was just a matter of time before they celebrated Pat,
01:49possibly overdue in my opinion.
01:52But I'm glad that the Buss family decided to do that last night
01:57or yesterday afternoon at the Star Plaza there at Crypto.com Arena
02:02in downtown Miami.
02:03It's the eighth Lakers statue that's there.
02:05And then there are several others, including Oscar De La Hoya,
02:09who is a native son of L.A., Olympic champion, multiple-time world champion.
02:13Wayne Gretzky is out there as his time with the Kings.
02:17There's, you know, Derek Chick Hearn,
02:18who was the Lakers' famous broadcaster for many, many, many years.
02:22But, yeah, for Pat to be out there, it makes all the sense in the world
02:25because he started what became the crown jewel of the NBA in the Lakers.
02:32And what you criticize, I don't want to say criticize,
02:34but people talk about coaches, but it's like Pat coached a bunch of great players,
02:38even as a general manager.
02:40He had Wade and Shaq, and he just brought in the big three and all that stuff.
02:43Like, Auerbach to Greg Popovich with the players he had,
02:47Steve Kerr now with Steph Curry.
02:50Like, isn't it the players that make the coach or the coach make the players?
02:53If Pat was coaching nobodies, would he have a statue right now?
02:59Maybe, maybe not.
03:00But what I would say to you is this, Crowder, yeah, you definitely need, you know, players.
03:04I don't think there's any question.
03:05I don't think Pat would deny that.
03:06I mean, he was pretty honest about saying that yesterday as well as he received that honor.
03:11But there's a lot of Dell Harris's who didn't win championships with Shaq and Kobe.
03:16You know what I'm saying?
03:17So I think that, you know, you look at Phil Jackson.
03:20Right, David Blatt is a great example.
03:22Right, Teron Liu comes in.
03:24And by the way, we've seen Teron Liu be a pretty darn good head coach after the fact, too.
03:28So I do think that that stuff does matter.
03:31And let's not forget the Lakers.
03:33I mean, they were the Celtics.
03:35The Celtics were the Lakers' daddy, basically, up until Pat Riley came here.
03:39And even in Pat's first couple of attempts against the Celtics, they were the Lakers' daddy.
03:45And, you know, I know Pat won as a player as well with the Lakers.
03:48He was a role player.
03:49He was basically their Bruce Bowen when Jerry West and Elgin Baylor won in 72, where they had the 33
03:55-game consecutive win streak, which is still the top win streak in the history of basketball.
04:00The only team that even came remotely close was those LeBron, Wade, and Bosh Heat teams with their 27-game
04:07win streak.
04:07But, yeah, Crowder, look, of course you need players.
04:10But you know what?
04:11Like, again, not everybody gets over the hump.
04:13If it was just the players, then there'd be a lot of coaches having statues everywhere.
04:18So, Dono, 30, 40, 50 years from now, how will Pat Riley be remembered?
04:24In other words, what part of his greatness will he be remembered for?
04:28I kind of compare it to Jerry West, who has somewhat of a similar tenure in the NBA after playing,
04:35where he was an executive of the year multiple times, won titles as an executive.
04:39But we remember Jerry West as a player.
04:41How will Pat Riley be remembered?
04:43Is it as an executive of the Miami Heat?
04:45Is it as a coach?
04:47Is it with his Showtime Lakers?
04:49Like, the main thing people remember Pat Riley for?
04:52I think that'll just depend on the generation you grew up in, Alex.
04:56I just think that's the reality of it.
04:58You really can't tell the story of American basketball without Pat Riley, though.
05:03If you think about it, he played against Kareem, who was Lew Alcindor, in high school, excuse me, in the
05:09New York area.
05:09He was part of the most important game in college basketball history, where his Kentucky team, and he was the
05:19best player on that team, was an All-American, lost to Texas Western, which became UTEP, which was the first
05:25team to start five black players in a game, in a national championship game.
05:29And, you know, Pat was helpful in telling that movie, right?
05:33Jerry Bruckheimer did that movie, and Pat was a huge influence in telling that story.
05:39Glory Road was the name of the movie.
05:41And then, obviously, you know, was part of that team I just mentioned, the 33 straight wins with the Lakers,
05:46and became an iconic head coach, really started the Lakers dynasty with the Showtime Lakers.
05:53And then, yeah, he became a coach-executive type with the Heat.
05:58I know I skipped by the Knicks, but he had, obviously, a good stint with the Knicks.
06:01They just didn't win a championship.
06:02But, I mean, hell, the Knicks were a disaster before Pat got there.
06:06And, you know, they were one game, one bad John Starks game away from winning a championship there.
06:11And, by the way, that could have changed Miami's history, too, if John Starks just had a mediocre game in
06:16that game against the Rockets.
06:18But then, of course, his tenure with the Heat, both as a coach and as an executive, I mean, he's
06:23a Hall of Famer as a college player, he's a Hall of Famer as a coach, and he's a Hall
06:28of Famer as an executive.
06:30So, I hope people there in Miami, and I know the Heat are kind of stuck in the middle right
06:35now, and it's easy to blame Pat.
06:38But, you know, he really is a treasure to this sport, and I think people should understand that in their
06:45emotions right now.
06:46I understand that it can be tough because Fan is short for Fanatic.
06:49But, man, he really has meant so much to this game and certainly so much to that community you guys
06:55are in.
06:55Basketball doesn't exist without Pat Riley.
06:58I'll never forget.
06:59It was my 18th birthday when he was on that cruise ship on the Carnival Cruise Line when he was
07:03introduced by Mickey Ireson.
07:05And I'll never forget that day because it changed Miami basketball forever, and drafting Dwayne Wade obviously changed it forever,
07:11too.
07:11So, look, I don't think that – I think, if anything, he gets too much grief now because he's not
07:18making unilateral decisions for that organization anymore.
07:20And I hope that, you know, the Heat continue to show the love that they've shown to him throughout his
07:2630 years or so that he's been there.
07:29I know that they named the court after him.
07:30And the next statue should definitely be him there at Kaseya Center.
07:35So, Donald, to that point about him succeeding at every level, succeeding as a player, a coach, an executive, all
07:40that, what makes him special?
07:42No cliches.
07:43What really makes Pat different at every level of basketball that he played?
07:47He's adaptable, Crowder.
07:49That's just the reality.
07:50If you really look at it everywhere he's been, he's just adapted, right?
07:53And when you think about it, okay, so he plays for Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, who is one of the
07:59most, you know, stringent, difficult, challenging coaches to play for.
08:04Like a real ball buster, basically, right?
08:07Like he plays for that guy.
08:08But that's – between that and his dad, who was obviously, you know, if you've read some of his books,
08:13was very difficult on Pat growing up.
08:16You know, that combination kind of turned him who he is.
08:18You know, it's funny because, like I mentioned, when he was a player in the NBA, he went from being
08:23the star college player to being a Bruce Bowen role player, right?
08:28He wasn't Jerry West.
08:29He was the guy that they said, hey, you got to guard Jerry in practice because you play the best
08:34defense, and that will allow him to understand what it's like to play against the best defenders, right?
08:39And he had to get cooked every day by Jerry West in practice, who's the logo, right?
08:44And then, you know, as he evolves as a coach, I mean, he becomes this Armani icon, right?
08:51He becomes as big a brand in coaching.
08:53You know, J.J. Reddick mentioned this yesterday.
08:55I know Spose talked about this.
08:56You know, without Pat, you know, coaching doesn't become as cool as it became because he was such a hard
09:02ass, but he had this amazing, you know, movie star look to him.
09:06You know, Michael Douglas said yesterday at the unveiling of the statue that the Gordon Gekko character –
09:13Uh-oh.
09:13Oh.
09:14We lost Sadando in the valley.
09:20He's always hiking.
09:22Phil Jackson probably cut that connection.
09:24He does like that.
09:25I'm back.
09:26I'm back.
09:26I'm back.
09:26Yeah, no.
09:27We thought we lost you.
09:28We were scared for you.
09:30You never know what goes on in these hiking expeditions.
09:32He was messing with – he was with goats last time we talked.
09:36Yeah, we were with goats last time.
09:38Yes, but, no, somebody called me.
09:39I forgot to put do not disturb.
09:41That's my fault.
09:41But, anyway.
09:42Anybody good?
09:44No, just a buddy of mine who's probably listening to this and leaving me a message like a dope.
09:49And it's like – and not realizing I'm doing this on my phone, you know.
09:52But he probably thinks I'm on the actual phone, not on video.
09:54But, anyway, Gus, I'll call you back, okay?
09:58He's my buddy in Miami.
09:59But, anyway, so, long story short, right, he's the Armani guy, he's this and that,
10:04but he's still connected in New York at the heart, man, you know?
10:07So, he goes to the Knicks, adaptability, different kind of roster.
10:11He doesn't have Showtime Lakers.
10:12He can't run up and down the floor.
10:14He doesn't have Magic Johnson and all these guys, James Worthy, Kareem.
10:17He's got Patrick Ewing and a bunch of role players.
10:20And he gets them within, again, as I mentioned,
10:22one bad John Starks game from winning the championship, okay?
10:27So, and then he comes to Miami and literally builds basketball in Miami,
10:31eventually drafts Dwayne Wade in 2003 after the Zoe Timmy years,
10:35and really changes the face of Miami basketball,
10:38made the Miami Heat the most important franchise in the city.
10:41So, he should be beloved forever for a number of reasons,
10:44but adaptability, Crowder, is the one trade I always point to.
10:48He has no feuds anymore.
10:51We saw Dwayne Wade was there last night,
10:54and they only speak glowingly of each other.
10:57LeBron and he only speak glowingly of each other.
11:01He's mended all fences, right?
11:04Yeah.
11:04Yeah, I think so.
11:05That relationship with LeBron is not icy.
11:07The relationship with Dwayne is in a great place right now.
11:09I don't think there's any doubt.
11:10And look, I think that, you know,
11:12that started back in 2018 when Dwayne came back.
11:15And I think over time, you know, Pat,
11:19God, I don't want to say this because it comes across disrespectful,
11:21but he's kind of softened a little bit in a good way, right?
11:24He's softened.
11:26How about this?
11:26I don't want to say he's softened.
11:28He's rounded the edges a little bit.
11:30That's probably a better way to describe it.
11:32Actually, when you're saying that,
11:34like, he probably has not mended fences with Danny Ainge.
11:39No, Danny Ainge is still the bleepity, bleepity, bleep,
11:42or whatever he called him in that press release in 2012.
11:46Yes, that's probably the one person.
11:47But he's rounded the edges,
11:49and I think he's also understood his mortality a little bit, Hawk.
11:53I heard him yesterday do an interview with one of the local icons here,
11:56Jim Hill, in L.A., and, you know, he talked about that.
12:00He's like, you know, look, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be around.
12:02You know what I mean?
12:03And, you know, look, I get it.
12:05He's 80.
12:05Like, it's understandable to even think that way while enjoying the life you have.
12:10I think that – I think he's just looked back a little bit at his life
12:15and said, hey, I've had a good one.
12:16I think he still feels like he wants to win.
12:18That doesn't change his desire for wanting to win,
12:21and they're still winning in misery.
12:23But I think he's starting to, which is smart.
12:25I think we should all do some of this and take account for the good things in life, right?
12:30And it's hard to do it when you're in this business.
12:33And Crowder, you played professional sports, so you get this.
12:36Like, it's hard to do this when you're in the midst of it, right?
12:39When you're, like, in the middle of battle, right?
12:42But now he's removed from it a little bit, right?
12:45He's no longer the guy day-to-day making decisions, per se.
12:49They do this as a collective there.
12:50So he's allowed to kind of take a little bit of a victory lap,
12:53and it's freaking awesome because if anyone deserves it, it's that guy.
12:59Yeah, we listened to the entire four minutes of the speech that he gave at the arena last night.
13:06And I said, after listening to him, I said,
13:09first of all, to be 80 years old and still command a crowd the way that he can is remarkable.
13:15And secondly, when he was done speaking, I just said, I love that guy.
13:20Like, he does deserve all this, all the flowers, and there has been criticisms of him in Miami.
13:27You know it from, you know, the past few seasons when they seemed to be asleep at the wheel.
13:32But he does deserve all this.
13:34And Sedano's right.
13:36Like, he built basketball in Miami.
13:38This doesn't exist without Riley.
13:40And it's so great that they're doing all this, and he's 100% there.
13:45He's still Pat Riley, which, like, watching him with that bike at the arena last night,
13:50man, that dude commands a crowd the way he did 40 years ago.
13:56Yeah, yeah, it is incredible.
13:58I know, Crowder, you wanted to say something, but just to add to that, Hawk, yeah,
14:01like, he walks in that building, he is freaking royalty, okay?
14:06You say he built basketball in Miami, there's no question.
14:08But he started the real dynasty with the Los Angeles Lakers, when you think about it, right?
14:13With that first championship, yeah, they had won, but when he was an assistant,
14:19but he was also part of that, right?
14:21But they really took off when he was the head coach winning those four titles
14:25and, you know, going to the final, was it in, I think it was eight of ten years
14:29or whatever it was?
14:30Like, think about that.
14:31Eight times in ten years, they went to the finals.
14:35And that's why when he said the thing about LeBron yesterday, he believes that.
14:39And he's always believed that.
14:40I'll never forget, he told Levitard that years ago after LeBron left,
14:43that he thought they had something special.
14:45And, you know, LeBron, interestingly enough, even kind of said,
14:49yeah, you know, he said, I think the phrase he used to Dave McMiniman of ESPN was,
14:55you know, I didn't go to Miami thinking I'd only play there four years.
14:59That's just kind of how the cards played out.
15:00But, yeah, you know, of course you think back and you think to yourself,
15:03like, yeah, what could have been?
15:05And, you know, you do think about it, sure.
15:08But, you know, I think that, you know, the decision I made is the decision I made.
15:12It worked out.
15:12Yeah, of course you think about what it could have been.
15:16And to that point with Pat adjusting, because he even gave James Worthy some goofball excuse
15:23for wearing a tie, Sedano.
15:25All he does, this goofball stuff about dressing up, man, it's silly.
15:31Solana and Hawk were giving me hell earlier in the show.
15:33Why the hell does a coach need to wear a suit?
15:37He's just old school that way.
15:38Listen, I'll tell you this.
15:39Eric will probably never admit it, but I've heard in hushed tones and quiet whispers,
15:44he's told people, don't tell my boss, but I like not wearing suits.
15:48Okay, so I'm with you, Crowder.
15:51If I ever have to wear a tie ever again, okay, I will never wear a tie ever again.
15:56But I got to wear them sometimes when I go to work.
15:59So I get it.
16:00He's just made from a different time.
16:02Plus, if I had to deal with Armani for my lifetime,
16:04maybe I would wear suits and ties every day and all day every day.
16:08As I said to Crowder, like, Riley knows it's an old school thought
16:13because he could mandate that Spoh has to wear a tie and suit if he wanted to.
16:18He's the president of the team, but he chooses not to.
16:20But I do like that he holds on to that as something that he knows has passed him by,
16:25but I'm not following along with the rest of y'all
16:28and wearing a collared shirt with no jacket.
16:31Yeah.
16:32Yeah.
16:32It's not his thing.
16:34Like, he is old school.
16:35Man, and it's funny, like, to your point, he is still Pat Riley.
16:39Like, he commanded the room.
16:40He's dressed to the nines.
16:42Like, he's still him.
16:44I actually saw him briefly, him and Mickey, at the All-Star game
16:48when Kishad won the slam dunk competition.
16:53Because I had to – I was there working for ESPN Radio as the sideline reporter
16:57because we have the rights to the game.
16:58And I had to do a little walk and talk with Kishad as he was headed to the NBC set.
17:04And I got a quick second just to say hi to Mickey and Pat.
17:07But, yeah, it was great to see him, man.
17:09Like, I am – listen, I owe that man so much.
17:13Like, I feel like my career would never be where it is if it wasn't for him coming to Miami,
17:19him drafting Dwayne Wade, all the – that – Dwayne Wade's success
17:23and then all the success thereafter, I never get to ESPN if those teams aren't formed.
17:29And that's all Pat Riley and Dwayne Wade.
17:31So, like, if I look at two people in sports I owe my life to,
17:35it's Dwayne Wade and Pat Riley in no particular order.
17:38Yeah, I always say Riley –
17:39And probably Pat first because he drafted Dwayne.
17:41Like, Riley down here and then Shaq and Wade and LeBron,
17:46the butterfly effect of how many people's careers it helped and shaped
17:51and fostered is remarkable.
17:54George Sedano, go enjoy your hike there in L.A.
17:57Too nice to be talking to us on the phone.
17:58Is it cold in Miami?
17:59Are people wearing leather jackets?
18:01Are lizards still freezing?
18:02Cold for me, man.
18:04I was going to go to spring training in West Palm tonight, 51.
18:08No, thank you.
18:09Oh, man, that's beautiful, 51.
18:11That's like – see, today it's like 70 degrees,
18:13and then at night here it'll be like 51.
18:16You wear a little zip up.
18:17It's nice, you know?
18:17Boca Raton right now, 60.
18:20Feels like 54.
18:22No, thank you.
18:24I'm putting the heat on, Jack.
18:25You're a weather softy, man.
18:27What happened?
18:27You used to be from Chicago.
18:29I know.
18:29Listen, that ain't the only thing soft about me.
18:34What?
18:35All right, gentlemen.
18:37I'll leave you at that.
18:38See you, Sedano.
18:40See you.
18:41George Sedano from ESPN.
18:43I was talking about the way I like my ice cream.
18:46Crowder, what are you thinking?
18:47You know what you were talking about.
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