Riley was one of the figures most commonly associated with L.A. until he moved on to other organizations, including the Miami Heat.

He coached the Heat for 11 seasons and has been a high-ranking executive there for 18 years. In that time, he’s added three NBA titles and four more Finals appearances. And perhaps one of his most defining features was that he did all of it while wearing an Armani suit for each and every game and public appearance.

Riley is one of the most well-known figures in basketball history, and comes from an era where suits were the norm for non-players. When speaking with the media after his statue unveiling, Riley was asked if he wishes coaches would wear suits again, and his answer shouldn’t surprise.

“It’s very simple. Some people like to wear Levi jeans and that’s it. T-shirts and whatever it is. But I met Mr. Armani in 1978 in Milan and he started to make some things for me at that time,” Riley began. “This was before I was even an assistant coach, I was working with Chick. We had a relationship for a long time, so my wife, she goes out and she shops and there’s a lot of new fashion and a lot of new trends and great things that are going on. But we’re up there in our 70s and 80s and so a lot of people are going back to vintage Armani, which are the 80s and 90s. And I didn’t have to go buy any. I just went right into my closet and pulled them out, recut them and they looked a little more contemporary.

“Everything I’m wearing today is Armani. And everything on my feet are black pad leather. You see out on that statue. They went out of business and sold to another company, and the owner called me and said ‘We sold the business, we’re not going to be making that shoe anymore.’ Then I ordered 20 pairs of each color and I still have a bunch of them left in my closet.

“I never changed much. I think what a coach should wear, I think they should go back to coaching in ties. I think an audience wants to see somebody on the sidelines who looks like a leader, dresses like a leader and acts like a leader. It’s OK to get little bit crazy whether it’s Armani or a jumpsuit doesn’t make a difference. There’s a casualness about it that I think the fans back in the 80s sort of expected that, and it was OK for me to give it to them.”

Riley has been extremely consistent in who he is and what he values over his time becoming an NBA legend. There’s a reason that success has followed him to each destination, and why the Heat have been a model of consistency in his decades there.

Suits likely aren’t coming back to sidelines any time soon, but that won’t stop Riley from trying.

Lakers’ James Worthy rips effort vs. Celtics

Another Lakers legend that made a fairly public statement was studio analyst — and former player for Riley — James Worthy. He spoke after the Lakers were handed a blowout loss by the Boston Celtics, saying that the team’s effort against a bitter rival was nowhere near up to the purple and gold standard.

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Luka Doncic had 25 points on 9-of-22 from the field, LeBron James had 20 on 9-of-21 and Austin Reaves had 15 on 4-of-10 shooting. The Lakers shot 39% from the field as a unit and were out-rebounded and out-assisted. It was another poor effort against a team that is among the league’s elite, a consistent theme for L.A. this season.

And perhaps no one was more upset about the showing than Lakers legend and Spectrum SportsNet studio analyst James Worthy. He panned the Lakers for the way they showed up in the game, especially against such an important rival like the Celtics, via NBA Courtside:

James Worthy RIPS the Lakers after their loss to the Celtics

“No heart, weak… This afternoon, was weak. It’s the Boston Celtics… To me, No respect for the uniform. You come out and get out rebounded, Pritchard and Jaylen Brown, you can sniff out weakness. When you do that,… pic.twitter.com/KZVLpWsJD1

— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 23, 2026

Worthy verbalizes what many fans have felt about the Lakers for much of this season. They put on great performances when facing the league’s worst teams, but seem to consistently lay eggs when playing against good opponents. They rarely just get outplayed, they get outworked and blown out by any team that is seriously contending for a top playoff spot.

The Lakers have played 13 games against teams currently in the top four of each conference. They are 2-11 in those games with 10 of the losses coming by 10 or more points. At a certain point, those results can no longer be ignored in favor of the good results against bad teams, and Worthy was sure to recognize that.

Luka Doncic discusses how Lakers can match physicality

Doncic had 25 points in the loss, but acknowledged that he and the team need to be better offensively despite any increased physicality.

“I think they were physical. They were playing great defense. So we need better offense,” Doncic said after the loss. “We scored 89 points. That’s not like us, so we got to be better.”

Doncic emphasized that the only way to handle physicality is to meet it head on with more of it.

“You’ve just got to match the physicality on both ends, especially on the defensive end. You got to match the physicality,” he said.

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They doubled down on that by trading away Gabe Vincent — one of their lone net-positive defenders — to the Atlanta Hawks for Luke Kennard.

Yet despite an abundance of offensive talent, the Lakers are still not an elite offense. Doncic leads the NBA in points per game at 32.8, but the Lakers rank eighth in the league in offensive rating. That simply isn’t good enough for a team with this much talent that struggles on defense, and part of the reason for that is performances like Sunday against the Boston Celtics.

L.A. managed only 89 points against the Celtics, an almost unacceptable showing for a fully healthy Lakers team. After practice the following day, Hachimura spoke about the inconsistency in the team’s offense and the need for more ball movement, via Dan Woike of The Athletic:

“I think it mostly depends on the team we play against. There are some teams that play really good team defense. Against that, we have to be more of sharing the ball, trusting each other. We got to have ball movement. Like yesterday, last game, they are a really great team, especially off the shift. So, I think usually, some guys, even for me, I can split the defense. But those guys are really good on the shift. They are a real handsy team and they allow them to do that. So, against those type of teams we kind of really struggle. We don’t have enough ball movement so I think those kind of stuff is the key for us to keep a high level offense. Have the ball movement is going to be the key.”

Hachimura brings up a theme that has been consistent for the Lakers this season, and that’s trusting one another. L.A. has not been a particularly pass-heavy team, despite the fact that Doncic and James are two of the best passers in the game and Reaves is incredibly high-IQ in his own right.

There is no reason why the Lakers should be as resistant to passing as they are, but it’s showing in some of these inconsistent offensive performances.

If the Lakers are going to be competitive this season, it’s going to have to be with an elite offense. The only way to reach that point is to be trusting of one another and share the ball, not play isolation-heavy basketball.

Luka Doncic feels chemistry with other Lakers stars is not there yet

One issue for the Lakers offense is that their star trio — Doncic, James and Reaves — have not played many games together. Their on-court chemistry has clearly suffered for it, and it shows even more in these brutal games against other top teams.

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Rosen has been in his position with the Dodgers since 2012, and has overseen successful operations on the business side as the team has seen unprecedented success on the field. They have routinely increased year-to-year revenue while being the MLB leaders in attendance in nearly every year of his tenure.

Now, the newest top decision-maker for the Lakers’ business operations side gave his statement on joining the purple and gold, expressing his thanks while outlining his goals.

“I’m beyond grateful to Jeanie and Mark for trusting me with this incredible opportunity,” said Rosen. “As everyone knows, the economics of the sports business are constantly changing – and they will continue to do so.

“But, at root, my job is a simple one: figuring out how to do right by our employees and our partners while ensuring that the Lakers continue to provide an unparalleled experience for our fans in Los Angeles and around the world. I look forward to working alongside Jeanie, Rob and the whole front-office team to make that happen.”

Walter took over as the majority owner of the Lakers earlier this season and has already begun making changes to try and replicate the Dodgers’ success in downtown L.A. However, it is clear that — at least for the near future — Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are going to remain heavily involved.

Rosen thanked both Pelinka, the general manager, and Buss, the team governor, in his statement. This is yet another indication that Walter is sticking with the two of them as primary figureheads in the organization.

Jeanie Buss believes her father would approve of Lakers sale to Walter

There has been significant drama within the Buss family and the Lakers organization over the decision to sell the team to Walter. All reports claim that Jeanie was the tie-breaking vote to sell after years of being reluctant to do so.

But she believes that her father, the late legend Dr. Jerry Buss, would have approved of selling the team to Walter. That allowed her to feel okay about changing her vote and letting the team be sold for a record $10 billion valuation.

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The NBA has undergone several format changes, going from East vs. West, to a playground style draft, to a three-team round robin. But through all the changes, James has been one of the lone constants. It shows just how era-defining a player LeBron truly is, and he does not take that for granted.

On the latest episode of “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash, the Lakers star discussed what being named an All-Star means to him and why — even despite wanting the week off at age 41 — he finds it important to show up:

“Humbling, and it’s a blessing. Obviously, was never a goal of mine to be a 22-time All-Star. I definitely wanted to be in the All-Star Game growing up, I just watch the guys play and watch MJ and Penny and Grant Hill, so many greats. AI, all those guys, Kobe, and it looked like so much fun. And that was the biggest stage, you know. Now, I’m that guy. Seeing new All-Stars, first-year All-Stars, coming in this year and for me to still be here. Half of me, maybe a little bit more that’s like I wish I could have that full week. But then there’s also the nostalgic side too, and the humbleness and the childhood that comes out of me like wow, you’re an All-Star again. You remember those times when you were watching as a teenager or a kid and just seeing the greats and the lights and wanting to be a part of that moment.”

One of the reasons for all the format changes in the All-Star Game is that viewership has faded as players have begun to take the game less seriously. It became clear over time that there was no incentive for players to try their hardest, leading to relatively unwatchable games.

But LeBron, here, details the reason why it’s important to try and represent the league. It’s so that young players around the world can see all the best athletes having fun and playing hard on the same court, and set a goal to one day be a part of that.

This may or may not have been James’ final All-Star appearance. If it was, he went out doing what he set out to do as a young kid. If not, he’ll have another chance to do so next season.

LeBron James would be welcomed back for 24th season

LeBron James is going to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and there have been many conversations about what his future holds with the Lakers and in the NBA. Retirement, a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers and re-signing with the Lakers all appear to be real options.

The Lakers reportedly are happy to have LeBron back if he wants to return to the purple and gold for his 24th NBA season, leaving his future almost entirely in his hands.

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