Pat Riley Wishes He Kept LeBron James

Los Angeles honored Pat Riley with the franchise’s first head coach statue Sunday, and Riley used the moment to reflect on his Miami Big Three. He said, "I wish I had him for another 6-8 years," imagining a longer run with LeBron. When asked, LeBron answered, "It's human nature to look back and say, 'OK, what could have been?'" He praised the four Miami seasons that brought "two chips" and lasting memories. Merlin sees this as more than nostalgia. Riley’s statue seals a blueprint of building and coaching greatness, while LeBron’s choices rewrote where that greatness landed. Had they stayed together longer, history might read differently. Instead both men keep shaping their legends, Riley in bronze and LeBron on the court and in the record books.