Pat Riley

President and Head Coach of The Miami HEAT, keynote speaker Pat Riley posted 50-plus win seasons in 15 seasons which is unprecedented in the NBA. Pat concluded his 16 th season with a 914-387 career record, a sizzling .703 mark. This is outstanding record places him in the sixth spot on the all-tie coaching victories list. He has accomplished this mark faster than the five coaches ahead of him. Riley also leads the NBA in most post-season games coaches and victories with 232 and 145 respectively. He is #1 first in playoff wins. Pat has won six world championships as a player and coach.

Mr. Riley is not only one of pro basketball’s winningest coaches, but his speeches before hundreds of corporations have earned him the title of ” America’s Greatest Motivational speaker.” He has been rated by success Magazine as “The best in his field.” Pat is a consummate competitor who knows the exhilaration that comes with winning. His philosophy is based upon winning, leadership, mastery, change, and personal growth as well as understanding and controlling the shifting dynamics of a team, any team, whether it is a small company, a giant corporation, a city, or a group of athletes. Pat has also completed an award winning 30-minute motivational video entitled Teamwork in which he applies his winning philosophies to businesses and life in general. His books Show Time and The Winner Within have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.

This season, Coach Riley notched his 900 th win in 1,278 games, braking the all-time record 1,360 games. As Coach of the Month for February, Riley guided Miami to a league-best 13-2 record that month as the team established franchise records for wins in a month, road wins in a month (nine) and monthly winning percentage (.867). On February 10 th, he also became the winningest coach in HEAT history when Miami defeated the Cavs 91-81 in Cleveland, giving him HEAT win No. 134. The team also finished with a 57-25 (.695%) road record during the last two seasons, making it the fourth best team on the road in back-to-back seasons in NBA history.

Prior to his success in Miami, Riley brought the 1993-94 New York Knicks to the franchise’s first NBA Finals in more than two decades. During the 1994-95 regular season, Coach led New York to a 57-25 record and won their second Atlantic Division Crown. He was named NBA Coach of the Year under the Knicks during the 1992-93 season. Pat has coached in nine out of 15 All-Star Games, once as the East Coast coach with the Knicks, and eight times as the West Coast coach with the Lakers.

The 53 year-old legend was “Coach of the Eighties” when he led the Los Angeles Lakers to four World Championships. During nine seasons as head coach of the Laker dynasty from 1981-82 through 1989-90, Pat became the all-time winningest percentage head coach in NBA history with a remarkable 533-194 record for a .733 winning percentage. The Lakers finished atop the Pacific Division in each of those nine campaigns, never posting less than 50 victories, and five times reaching 60 or more wins.

In fact, in 1987-88 the Lakers set an NBA record by becoming the first club in history to record a fourth straight 60-win seasons. Riley piloted the Lakers to NBA titles in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. These four championships as a head coach rank third in NBA annuals. He was named NBA Coach of the Year under the Lakers during the 1989-90 season.

Pat was the San Diego Rockets’ first-round draft pick (seventh overall) in 1967, launching a nine year NBA career. He played three seasons in San Diego before joining the Lakers in 1970-71. Pat spent five full seasons in a Laker uniform and averaged 6.7 ppg on Los Angeles’ 1971-72 NBA Championship team. He completed his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns in 1976.

Prior to his pro-career, Pat was a collegiate start at the University of Kentucky (1963-67). He was the Wildcats’ MVP for three seasons, averaged 22 ppg in his junior years a Kentucky made the NCAA finals, and was team captain as a senior.

Pat and his wife, Chris, are involved with numerous charity and community service projects which include D.A.R.E., Elizabeth Glaser’s Pediatric A.I.D.S. Foundation, and The Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Sports Motivation

Teamwork