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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
The Miami Heat will honor longtime team president Pat Riley by permanently naming their playing floor in his honor, the team announced on Monday.
The court at the Kaseya Center will be unveiled with Riley’s name on Oct. 23, when the Heat open the season with the Orlando Magic.
Riley, now in his 30th year with the franchise, has led the Heat to three championships and seven NBA Finals appearances. He was also the head coach for the 2006 championship and led the historic acquisition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010 that resulted in four consecutive Finals appearances and titles in 2012 and 2013.
“This has been one hell of a journey that [owner] Micky [Arison] and I have taken together over the last 30 years,” Riley said in a statement. “The goal from day one was to win, and win big. We did. We won championships, sprayed each other with champagne, had parades, celebrated on this floor, in this arena, in the streets with our great fans and hung the names of our greatest players from the rafters.
“Naming the court after me would have made my parents very proud. It is a great, great honor for myself, [wife] Chris and my family.”
Arison, who took control of the Heat from his late father in 1995, brought in Riley from the New York Knicks that year in a bold and controversial move that has turned out to define the franchise for the past three decades.
“Thirty years, three championships, countless moments — none of it would have been possible without Pat Riley at the helm of the ship,” Arison said in a statement. “Pat has accomplished so much for this franchise and this city that it’s only fitting his name is forever etched on the hardwood where every day we will be reminded of his impact on the game and the Heat.”
Riley was named to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2008.
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