On the same night that the Los Angeles Lakers honored Pat Riley with a statue for his time with the franchise, they recalled LeBron James' days with the Miami Heat. Hall of Fame center Chris Bosh expressed his displeasure over James' departure. Maybe Riley did the same, still wondering what if? LeBron, Bosh and Dwyane Wade won two championships in four seasons before LeBron signed with the Cleveland Cavs in 2014.
According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Riley believes James could lead the Heat to a third title.
Riley, 80, said when asked what James' four-year tenure with the Heat meant to him during a press conference in Los Angeles on Sunday, "I thought with the Big 3 – Dwayne, Chris Bosh and especially LeBron – we finally put together what I thought could be a dynasty."
"It was. Four consecutive trips to the finals, two world championships. It was an incredible run. And as a coach and someone who really thought about building that special team and built it, I saw something that could last for eight to 10 years."
Nevertheless, Riley understood James' decision to return to Cleveland, which ultimately led to the Cavs winning their first championship in franchise history.
"I get it," Riley said of James' decision to leave the Heat, adding that she now feels at peace with the way things are going 12 years after James' departure. "Business in the NBA is business in the NBA. Players have opportunities to go elsewhere; he went to Cleveland and won a title there. So I wish him all the best.
"But I'm going to be selfish here and say I wish I had him for the next six or eight years. It would have been great. But we'll never know, right?"
James will win his fourth title in 2020 and his first with the Lakers.
LeBron James is considering leaving the Heat
All-Star LeBron James honored Heat president Pat Riley, who led the Lakers to four championships from 1982 to 1988 as head coach. From his front-office position, Riley, who led the 2006 champion Heat to a title as coach, wanted James to lead his team to at least three championships.
James discussed his time with the Heat when a reporter relayed Riley's comments, as noted by the Miami Herald.
Asked about Riley's comments, James told reporters in Los Angeles on Sunday, "I never said I'd go there for four years and decide to go somewhere else." "That's the way the cards were played. But, yes, it's human nature to look back and say what could have been. But that's part of life. I thought the four years we had, obviously, were great.
"We managed to win two championships, unfortunately we lost two of them. But a lot of good memories, a lot of good times there. It will be interesting to see what could have been."
The Lakers lost to the Celtics 111-89 on Sunday.
