The 1967 NBA Draft was the 21st annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 3, 1967 before the 1967–68 season. In this draft, 12 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. The first two picks in the draft belonged to the teams that finished last in each division, with the order determined by a coin flip.^[1] The Detroit Pistons won the coin flip and were awarded the first overall pick, while the Baltimore Bullets were awarded the second pick. The remaining first-round picks and the subsequent rounds were assigned to teams in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Five teams that had the best records in previous season were not awarded second round draft picks. Two expansion franchises, the San Diego Rockets and the Seattle SuperSonics, took part in the NBA Draft for the first time and were assigned the sixth and seventh pick in the first round, along with the last two picks of each subsequent round. The draft consisted of 20 rounds comprising 162 players selected.

Draft selections and draftee career notes[link]

Jimmy Walker from Providence College was selected first overall by the Detroit Pistons. Earl Monroe from Winston-Salem State University, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award in his first season, was drafted second by the Baltimore Bullets.^[2] Monroe, fifth pick Walt Frazier and ninth pick Mel Daniels have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.^[3] They were also named in the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.^[4] Monroe and Frazier both won the NBA championship with the Knicks in 1973. Three seasons earlier in 1970, Frazier was also a member of the Knicks team that won the NBA championship for the first time. Frazier was selected to seven All-NBA Teams, six All-Star Games and seven All-Defensive Teams, while Monroe was selected to one All-NBA Team and four All-Star Games.^[5][6] Walker and 19th pick Bob Rule are the only other players from this draft who have been selected to an All-Star Game.^[7][8] Daniels, the 9th pick, opted to play in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Minnesota Muskies. He won the ABA Most Valuable Player Award twice and was selected to five All-ABA Teams and seven ABA All-Star Games. He later played one season in the NBA with the New York Nets after the ABA–NBA merger.^[9] After his playing career, he became a coach for the Indiana Pacers and served two games as their interim head coach in 1988.^[10]

Pat Riley, the 7th pick, and Phil Jackson, the 17th pick, became successful NBA head coaches after ending their playing career. Riley won five NBA championships as head coach; four with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and one with the Miami Heat in 2006.^[11] He also won the Coach of the Year Award for a record three times, tied with Don Nelson.^[12] Jackson won eleven NBA championships, the most in NBA history.^[13] He led the Chicago Bulls to win three straight championships twice over separate three year periods; during 1991–1993 and 1996–1998. He then captured his third "three-peat" with the Lakers during 2000–2002, before winning two more title in 2009 and 2010. He also won a Coach of the Year Award in 1996 with the Bulls.^[14] Both coaches have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach.^[3] They were also named among the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History announced at the league's 50th anniversary in 1996.^[15]

First pick Jimmy Walker was also drafted in the 1967 National Football League (NFL) Draft, despite never having played college football.^[16] He was drafted last in the 17-round draft by the New Orleans Saints.^[17] He stayed with his basketball career and became a two-time All-Star.^[18] On the other hand, the first pick in the 1967 NFL Draft, Bubba Smith, was drafted by an NBA team. He was selected with the 114th pick in the 11th round by the Baltimore Bullets. However, he stayed with his football career and played nine seasons in the NFL as a defensive end.^[19]

Key[link]

Draft[link]

Walt Frazier was selected fifth overall by the New York Knicks. Pat Riley was selected seventh overall by the San Diego Rockets. Phil Jackson was selected 17th overall by the New York Knicks.

Round	Pick	Player	Pos.	Nationality	Team	School/club team
1	1	Walker, JimmyJimmy Walker+	G	United States	Detroit Pistons	Providence
1	2	Monroe, EarlEarl Monroe^	G	United States	Baltimore Bullets	Winston-Salem State
1	3	Haskins, ClemClem Haskins	G	United States	Chicago Bulls	Western Kentucky
1	4	Dove, SonnySonny Dove	F	United States	Detroit Pistons (from Los Angeles)[a]	St. John's
1	5	Frazier, WaltWalt Frazier^	G	United States	New York Knicks	Southern Illinois
1	6	Tucker, AlAl Tucker	F	United States	Seattle SuperSonics	Oklahoma Baptist
1	7	Riley, PatPat Riley	G/F	United States	San Diego Rockets	Kentucky
1	8	Workman, TomTom Workman	F/C	United States	St. Louis Hawks	Seattle
1	9	Daniels, MelMel Daniels	C	United States	Cincinnati Royals	New Mexico
1	10	Lattin, DaveDave Lattin	F/C	United States	San Francisco Warriors	Texas Western
1	11	Graham, MalMal Graham	G	United States	Boston Celtics	NYU
1	12	Raymond, CraigCraig Raymond	C	United States	Philadelphia 76ers	Brigham Young
2	13	Jones, JimmyJimmy Jones	G/F	United States	Baltimore Bullets	Grambling
2	14	Sullivan, SteveSteve Sullivan#	F	United States	Detroit Pistons	Georgetown
2	15	Beck, ByronByron Beck	F/C	United States	Chicago Bulls	Denver
2	16	Mahaffey, RandolphRandolph Mahaffey#	F	United States	Los Angeles Lakers	Clemson
2	17	Jackson, PhilPhil Jackson	F/C	United States	New York Knicks	North Dakota
2	18	Netolicky, BobBob Netolicky#	F/C	United States	San Diego Rockets	Drake
2	19	Rule, BobBob Rule+	F/C	United States	Seattle SuperSonics	Colorado State

Other picks[link]

The following list includes other draft picks who have appeared in at least one NBA game.

Round	Pick	Player	Pos.	Nationality	Team	School/club team
3	24	Gregor, GaryGary Gregor	F/C	United States	New York Knicks	South Carolina
3	25	Verga, BobBob Verga	G	United States	St. Louis Hawks	Duke
3	26	Gray, GaryGary Gray	G	United States	Cincinnati Royals	Oklahoma City
3	27	Turner, BillBill Turner	F	United States	San Francisco Warriors	Akron
3	31	Jones, NickNick Jones	G	United States	San Diego Rockets	Oregon
4	34	Burns, JimJim Burns	G	United States	Chicago Bulls	Northwestern
4	35	Anderson, CliffCliff Anderson	G/F	United States	Los Angeles Lakers	Saint Joseph's
4	38	Dampier, LouieLouie Dampier	G	United States	Cincinnati Royals	Kentucky
4	39	Lewis, BobBob Lewis	G	United States	San Francisco Warriors	North Carolina
5	45	Long, PaulPaul Long	G	United States	Detroit Pistons	Wake Forest
5	51	Lynn, MikeMike Lynn	F	United States	San Francisco Warriors	UCLA
5	53	Reid, JimJim Reid	F	United States	Philadelphia 76ers	Winston-Salem State
5	54	Lott, PlummerPlummer Lott	G/F	United States	Seattle SuperSonics	Seattle
6	63	Schlueter, DaleDale Schlueter	C	United States	San Francisco Warriors	Colorado State
8	80	Manning, EdEd Manning	F	United States	Baltimore Bullets	Jackson State
8	81	Carter, GeorgeGeorge Carter	G/F	United States	Detroit Pistons	St. Bonaventure
9	96	Biedenbach, EdEd Biedenbach	G	United States	St. Louis Hawks	North Carolina State
9	100	Filipek, RonRon Filipek	F	United States	Philadelphia 76ers	Tennessee Tech
10	110	Weitzman, RickRick Weitzman	G	United States	Boston Celtics	Northeastern
12	128	Riordan, MikeMike Riordan	G/F	United States	New York Knicks	Providence
20	162	West, RolandRoland West	G	United States	Baltimore Bullets	Cincinnati

Trades[link]

• ^a On February 17, 1967, the Detroit Pistons acquired a first-round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers as compensation when Rudy LaRusso refused to report to the Lakers after being traded to the Pistons in a three-team trade on January 16, 1967.^[20][21][22] The Lakers used the pick to draft Sonny Dove.

References[link]

General

Specific

External links[link]

• NBA.com
• NBA.com: NBA Draft History

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association (NBA) can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted. College players who have finished their four-year college eligibility are automatically eligible for selection, while the underclassmen have to declare their eligibility and give up their remaining college eligibility. International players who are at least 22 years old are automatically eligible for selection, while the players younger than 22 have to declare their eligibility. Players who are not automatically eligible but have declared their eligibility are often called "early-entrants" or "early-entry candidates". The Draft usually takes place at the end of June, during the NBA off-season. The Draft consists of two rounds with a total of sixty players to be selected.

In the past, high school players were also eligible to be selected. However, starting in the 2006 Draft, high school players were not eligible to enter the draft directly after graduating high school. The rules now state that high school players will gain eligibility for draft selection one year after their high school graduation and they must also be at least 19 years old as of the end of the calendar year of the draft. Contrary to popular belief, they do not necessarily have to have at least one year of college basketball (as some players have chosen to use that year to play professionally in Europe for example).

NBA Draft Lottery[link]

The NBA Draft Lottery is an annual event held by the NBA to determine the draft order. The teams who missed the playoffs in the previous season participate in a lottery process to determine the draft order. The lottery winner would get the first selection in the draft. In the current rules, 14 non-playoff teams participate in the Draft Lottery. The lottery is weighted so that the team with the worst record has the best chance of obtaining higher draft picks. The lottery process determines the first three picks of the draft. The rest of the first-round order of picks is in reverse order of the teams' win-loss record. The lottery does not determine the draft order in the second round of the draft. The term "lottery pick" denotes a draft pick whose position is determined through the lottery, while the non-playoff teams involved in the process are often called "lottery teams". The Draft Lottery system was first used in the 1985 Draft.

Draft selection process[link]

All players must be at least 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft, and a player who completed basketball eligibility at an American high school must also be at least one year removed from the graduation of his high school class. Restrictions exist on players signing with sports agents and on declaring for, then withdrawing, from drafts—although most of them are enforced by the NCAA rather than the NBA.

In the early years of the draft, teams would select players until they ran out of prospects. The 1960 draft went 21 rounds. By 1974, it had stabilized to 10 rounds, which held up until 1985, when the draft was shortened to seven rounds. By agreement with the National Basketball Players Association, the drafts from 1989 onward have been limited to two rounds, which gives undrafted players the chance to try out for any team.^[1]

Globalization of the draft[link]

The NBA draft has been dominated by collegiate players since the draft was put in place in 1950. In more recent years high school seniors have also had a large impact on the draft. These include players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Amar'e Stoudemire. However, because of the new age requirement put in place in 2005, high school seniors are no longer eligible for the draft. During the same stretch that high school players were making a large impact on the draft, another group of players started to make their presence felt in the draft.

Selecting foreign players[link]

Foreign players have made a large impact on how teams are now drafting. When the draft began, foreign players were not selected. As the years progressed, things began to change and a few international players were selected. The first foreign player, in the sense of being a national of a country other than the U.S., to be chosen first overall in the draft was Bahamian Mychal Thompson in 1978. However, Thompson's selection was not a true harbinger of the game's globalization, as he had spent much of his childhood in Florida, and had played college basketball at Minnesota. One of the first foreign players selected in the draft to play in the NBA was Manute Bol out of the Sudan in 1983 in the 5th round by the San Diego Clippers. Bol's selection was later deemed ineligible by the NBA. Two years later Bol was drafted again by the NBA this time out of Division II University of Bridgeport in 1985 as the 31st pick overall in the second round. Although Bol did not have a stellar career, he is known for being one of the tallest players ever to play the game at 7 feet and 7 inches. He holds the record for being the tallest player ever to hit a 3 point field goal. The following two years saw two players born outside the U.S. selected first overall—Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984 and Jamaica-born American Patrick Ewing in 1985. However, like Thompson before them, both had played U.S. college basketball—Olajuwon at Houston and Ewing at Georgetown—and Ewing had also played high school basketball in the U.S.

By the 1997 Draft, the number of foreign players being drafted dramatically increased. The top pick in that draft, Tim Duncan, became the third international player picked number 1 overall—although his designation as "international" is a matter of semantics, as he is a native of the United States Virgin Islands and, like all USVI natives, is a U.S. citizen by birth. He also had played U.S. college basketball at Wake Forest. Including Duncan, 12 international players were selected in the two rounds of the draft—although half of them, including Duncan and the next two such players picked, had played college basketball. The 1998 draft saw another foreign player picked first overall, Nigerian Michael Olowokandi, but like Duncan he had played college basketball, in his case at Pacific. In 2001 the highest drafted foreign player, Pau Gasol, was selected 3rd overall by the Atlanta Hawks. That would all change the following season when Yao Ming became the first foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall. Not only was the first overall pick an international player, but five more picks in the first round alone were also from overseas. In total, the 2002 draft produced 17 international players, with only three of them (all second-round picks) having U.S. college experience.

International players selected number 1 overall[link]

As noted earlier, four international players had gone first overall before 2002, although all had played college basketball in the U.S., and one of them was in fact a U.S. citizen by birth. It was not until 2002 that an international player without college experience went first overall—Yao Ming. His selection was not only a watershed moment for the NBA, it also had a large impact in Yao's homeland of China. Hannah Beech (2003) writes "Yao has single-handedly transformed his countrymen from nameless, faceless millions into mighty men who can jam with the very best." ^[2] Yao has helped the NBA grow into a worldwide product. Beech (2003) goes on to write "Ratings for NBA games broadcast on Chinese TV have never been higher than this year as the nation keeps track of its new favorite team, Yao's Houston Rockets." ^[2] For his career Yao is averaging a solid 19.0 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game, 1.89 blocks per game, and is shooting 82.6 percent from the free throw line.

2001 Draft[link]

From the 2001 draft to the 2006 Draft there were a total of 6 foreign players selected. This trend shows how NBA teams are expanding the way they are selecting players in the draft. Players like Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Tony Parker, Nenê and Luol Deng are changing the landscape of the NBA to include a wide array of players from all over the globe.

2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts[link]

The 2002, 2005 and 2006 Drafts saw international players picked first overall. In 2002 the Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming from China first in the draft. Also in 2005, the Milwaukee Bucks picked Andrew Bogut, from Australia by way of the University of Utah, #1. The next year, the Toronto Raptors made Andrea Bargnani the second foreign player without U.S. college experience to be selected number 1 overall.

Other notable past NBA drafts[link]

Some of the most noted NBA draft years are 1984, 1996, and 2003. Each of those is often referred to as one of, if not the, best NBA Draft ever, though the 2003 Draft was too recent to accurately compare. The 2000 NBA Draft has been regarded as the worst in history, with Sports Illustrated calling its first round "a horrible group of players."^[3] The 1986 Draft was notable for the number of solid and even outstanding players selected in later rounds, partly because of drug problems that claimed the life of second overall pick Len Bias and affected the careers of several other first-round picks.^[4][5]

See also[link]

• Draft bust
• Expansion draft
• Haywood v. National Basketball Association
• Mock draft
• NBA Draft Lottery
• NBA first overall draft pick
• NBA territorial pick
• WNBA Draft

References[link]

General

Specific

External links[link]

• NBA.com: NBA Draft History
• Basketball-Reference.com: NBA Draft Index.
• TheDraftReview.com: NBA Draft Index

Pat Riley

No. 42, 12
Guard / Forward
Personal information
Born	(1945-03-20) March 20, 1945 (age 67) Rome, New York
High school	Linton (Schenectady, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
College	Kentucky (1964–1967)
NBA Draft	1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the San Diego Rockets
Pro career	1967–1976
League	NBA
Career history
As player:
1967–1970	San Diego Rockets
1970–1975	Los Angeles Lakers
1975–1976	Phoenix Suns
As coach:
1981–1990	Los Angeles Lakers
1991–1995	New York Knicks
1995–2003	Miami Heat
2005–2008	Miami Heat
Career highlights and awards
As Player: NBA Champion (1972) SEC Player of the Year (1966) As Coach: 5× NBA Champion (1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2006) 3× NBA Coach of the Year (1990, 1993, 1997) Top 10 Coaches in NBA History As Executive: NBA Executive of the Year (2011)
Career NBA statistics
Points	3,906 (7.4 ppg)
Rebounds	855 (1.6 rpg)
Assists	913 (1.7 apg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as coach

Patrick James "Pat" Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, and a former coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams and an assistant coach to another. He most recently won the 2006 NBA Championship with the Miami Heat. Prior to his tenure in Miami, he served as head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. He was named NBA Coach of the Year three times (1989–90, 1992–93 and 1996–97, as head coach of the Lakers, Knicks and Heat, respectively). He was head coach of the NBA All-Star Game teams nine times: eight of the Western team (1982, 1983, 1985–1990, all as head coach of the Lakers) and once of the Eastern team (1993, as head coach of the Knicks). In 1996 he was named one of the 10 Greatest Coaches in the NBA history. As a player, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers' championship team in 1972, bringing his personal total to seven NBA titles.

Biography[link]

Riley was born in Rome, New York, and raised in Schenectady. His father, Leon Riley, played twenty-two seasons of minor league baseball as an outfielder and first baseman, and appeared in 4 games for the 1944 Philadelphia Phillies.^[1][2]

Playing career[link]

Riley played basketball for Linton High School in Schenectady, New York under head coach Walt Przybylo and his assistants Bill Rapavy and Ed Catino.^[3] Linton High School's 74–68 victory over New York City's Power Memorial on December 29, 1961, is remembered mostly for its two stars: Power Memorial's Lew Alcindor (who later changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar); and his future coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, Linton's Riley. In 1991, Riley called it, "One of the greatest games in the history of Schenectady basketball."

Riley was a versatile athlete in college, participating in both basketball and football. He was also a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. As a junior on the University of Kentucky basketball team in 1966 he was named First Team All-SEC, All-NCAA Tournament Team, NCAA Regional Player of the Year, SEC Player of the Year & AP Third Team All-American, leading the Wildcats to the NCAA title game. Coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp, UK lost to Texas Western (today's UTEP), a game that was reenacted in the movie Glory Road. His senior year Riley made First Team All-SEC, one of the only players in storied Kentucky Basketball history to make two or more First Team All-SEC teams.^[4]

He was selected by the San Diego Rockets in the 1st round of the 1967 NBA Draft, and was also drafted as a wide receiver by the Dallas Cowboys in the 11th round of the 1967 NFL Draft. He joined the Rockets and was later selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, in the 1970 NBA expansion draft,^[5] but immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, which he helped toward the 1972 NBA Championship both by coming off the bench in games and guarding friend and legendary Laker guard Jerry West in practice. Despite this, overall, his playing career was undistinguished, as he was a perennial bench player. He retired after the 1975-76 NBA season as a member of the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.

Riley finished his NBA playing career with a 7.4 points per game scoring average and a field-goal percentage of 41.4%.^[6]

Coaching career[link]

Los Angeles Lakers[link]

Riley returned to the NBA in 1977 as a broadcaster for the Lakers. During the 1979–80 season, when the team's head coach, Jack McKinney, was injured during a near fatal bicycle accident, assistant coach Paul Westhead took over the team's head coaching duties. Riley then moved from the broadcast booth to the bench as one of Westhead's assistant coaches.

Six games into the 1981–82 season, Magic Johnson said he wished to be traded because he was unhappy playing for Westhead. Shortly afterward, Lakers' owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead. At an ensuing press conference, with Jerry West at his side, Buss named West head coach. West, however, balked, and Buss awkwardly tried to name West as "offensive captain" and then named West and Riley as co-coaches.^[7] West made it clear during the press conference that he would only assist Riley, and that Riley was the head coach.^[8] Thereafter, Riley was the interim head coach, until his status became permanent.

Riley led the Lakers to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances. His first title came in his first season, against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams returned to the Finals the next year, but Riley's Lakers were swept by the 76ers. The Lakers lost in the Finals again in 1984, to the Boston Celtics in seven games. The Lakers earned Riley his second NBA title in 1985 in a rematch of the previous year, as the Lakers beat the Celtics in six games. The Lakers' four-year Western Conference streak was broken the following year by the Houston Rockets.

In 1987, Riley coached a Lakers team that is considered one of the best teams of all-time. With future Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, plus Michael Cooper, Byron Scott, A. C. Green, Mychal Thompson, and Kurt Rambis, the Lakers finished 65–17 in the regular season, third-best in team history. They met with similar success in the playoffs, dispatching the Celtics in six games to win Riley his third NBA title.

One of Riley's most famous moments came when he guaranteed the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' championship parade in downtown Los Angeles (he first made the guarantee during the post-victory locker room celebration).^[9] While the 1988 Lakers did not produce as many wins in the regular season as the 1987 Lakers, they still managed to win the NBA title, becoming the first team in 19 years to repeat as champions. The Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons in seven games in the 1988 NBA Finals, making good on Riley's promise. Riley's titles with the Lakers make him the fifth man to play for an NBA Championship team and later coach the same NBA team to a championship. The others are Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, and Billy Cunningham.

Although Riley would offer no further guarantees, his Lakers embarked upon a quest to obtain a third consecutive championship in 1989. Having successfully claimed a repeat championship the year before, the term used for this new goal was a "three-peat" championship, and indeed Riley, through his corporate entity, Riles & Co., actually trademarked the phrase "three-peat"^[10] via the Chicago Bulls accomplishing the feat twice (including several series wins over Riley-coached teams: the New York Knicks in 1992 and 1993, and the Miami Heat in 1996 and 1997). But ultimately, the Lakers were swept by the Pistons in the 1989 NBA Finals.

Riley stepped down as coach of the Lakers after they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the 1990 NBA playoffs, amid rumors of player mistreatment and anger problems on his part. In spite of these rumors and his resignation, he was named NBA Coach of the Year for the first time.

New York Knicks[link]

After stepping down as coach, Riley accepted a job as a television commentator for NBC. However, this job only lasted one year, as he became head coach of the New York Knicks in 1991. In 1993, he led the Knicks to the best regular season record in team history (tied with the 1969-1970 team) and received his second Coach of the Year award. Commentators especially admired Riley's ability to work with the physical, deliberate Knicks, considering that he was associated with the fast-paced Lakers in the 1980s. Riley returned to the NBA Finals in 1994, but his Knicks lost in seven games to the Houston Rockets after being up 3–2 in the series, and it denied New York City the distinction of both NBA and NHL titles in the same year. During the 1994 Finals, Riley became the first coach in an NBA Finals Game 7 with two different teams, having been with the Lakers in 1984 and 1988. However, he had the unfortunate distinction of having become the first (and to date, the only) coach to lose an NBA Finals Game 7 with two different teams, having lost to the Celtics in 1984. It also denied him the distinction of becoming the first coach to win a Game 7 NBA Finals on two different teams, having defeated the Pistons in 1988.

Miami Heat[link]

In 1995, Riley resigned from the Knicks via fax to become the head coach of the Miami Heat. The move caused some controversy, as the Heat were accused by the Knicks of tampering by pursuing Riley while he still had a year remaining on his contract with the Knicks.^[11] The matter was settled after the Heat sent their 1996 first round pick (which the Knicks would use to draft Walter McCarty) and $1 million in cash to the Knicks on September 1, 1995. Riley's coaching of the Heat to playoff contention would later make them bitter rivals with his former team.

In 1995–96, Miami was swept in the first round by Phil Jackson-coached Chicago Bulls, who had completed the regular season with a record 72 wins. This season was most notable for the ongoing housecleaning that took place, with the arrival of building blocks Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. The offseason would also bring them Nets forward P.J. Brown and Suns swingman Dan Majerle.

In 1997, Riley's Heat defeated his old team, the Knicks, in a physical seven game series. Advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in franchise history, they proved no match for Jordan and his Bulls. Riley was selected as Coach of the Year for the third time, after leading Miami to a 61–21 regular season record, 1st in the Atlantic division.

The Heat would compile consecutive seasons over .600. However, the 1998, 1999, and 2000 playoffs would be disappointments as they lost to the arch-rival Knicks; the first two in the opening round and the latter in the second round. In 1999, the Knicks themselves reached the Finals.

Riley then entered the 2000 season armed for bear. In a shuffling of the deck, Riley traded away Brown and Jamal Mashburn in exchange for Eddie Jones in one trade and acquired Brian Grant in another, although suffering a major setback after discovering Alonzo Mourning's kidney condition. After finishing a respectable 50–32 in 2000–01 in spite of the new nucleus and the loss of their star center, the Heat organized a housecleaning after the season, as the Heat lost two of their best players when guard Tim Hardaway was traded to the Dallas Mavericks and Anthony Mason signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. In part because of these departures, the Heat finished a disappointing 36–46 in 2002. Riley was so disgusted with the Heat's performance that he declared he was about to "fire himself."

Before the beginning of the 2003–04 season, he did step down as Heat coach, to fully dedicate his attention to his duties as general manager. Longtime assistant Stan Van Gundy and rookie Dwyane Wade, whom Riley drafted 5th overall, led the Heat back into the playoffs with a 42–40 record after starting 0–7. Riley concentrated on improving the team even further before the 2004–2005 season. One of his biggest moves as full-time general manager was to trade Caron Butler, Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and a first-round draft pick to the Lakers for superstar Shaquille O'Neal. Head coach Van Gundy led the Heat to the Eastern Conference finals during the 2005 playoffs, although they lost to the Detroit Pistons after being up 3–2 in the series.

Riley resumed coaching the Heat on December 12, 2005, replacing Stan Van Gundy after the Heat started the season with a disappointing 11–10 record. Van Gundy had resigned in order to "spend more time with [his] family."

The move came as a shock to the basketball community, with some speculating that with Shaquille O'Neal returning from injury, Dwyane Wade having his best season yet, and a high-caliber roster including Gary Payton, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker, Riley wanted to try to regain his former glory^{[citation needed]} by coaching Miami to its first NBA Championship. Riley's Heat team defeated his Los Angeles Lakers-days nemesis, the Detroit Pistons, in the 2006 Eastern Conference playoffs on June 2, 2006, making it the first time the Miami Heat reached the finals. Riley's Heat squared off against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. Despite losing the first two games to Dallas, the Heat rallied to win the next four games and their first NBA Championship. It was Riley's fifth championship as a head coach, and his first with a team other than the Lakers. Riley became the only NBA coach to take three different teams to the NBA Finals and joined Alex Hannum and Phil Jackson as the only coaches to coach two different teams to NBA titles. He also became the only coach to twice replace a coach in mid-season and take that team to an NBA title.^[12]

Citing "hip and knee problems," Riley took a leave of absence from coaching from January 3, 2007 through February 19, 2007. Assistant coach Ron Rothstein assumed interim duties.

Retirement[link]

On April 28, 2008, Riley announced that he would step down as coach of the Miami Heat after the team finished with an NBA-worst 15–67 record, the worst regular season output of Riley's career. Former Heat assistant Erik Spoelstra was announced as his replacement. Riley remains team president.^[13]

Outside of basketball[link]

Riley and the Miami Heat with President George W. Bush

Outside of basketball, Riley has developed into a pop-culture figure. This is born out of Riley's signature look, a slicked-back hairstyle, which is often described as gangster-looking, and his immaculate tan. He came to the public eye leading the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980s, furthering his image by "guaranteeing" a championship. Riley has coached in three American cities well known for popular nightlife and celebrity culture.

In 1988, Riley published a book entitled Showtime, which recapped the Lakers' successful run to the 1987 NBA Championship. One of the phrases Riley coined in the book was the "Disease of More", stating that "success is often the first step toward disaster" and that defending champions often fail the following season because every player who returns wants more playing time, more shots per game, and more money. The phrase stemmed from the Lakers' disappointing 1980–81 campaign coming off a championship the previous season.

Riley is known for his friendship with Giorgio Armani, preferring to wear Armani suits during basketball games, and even modeling once at an Armani show.

Riley is also a motivational speaker during the off-season. Riley earns in excess of $50,000 for each speaking engagement.

Riley and his wife Chris have two children, James Riley and Elisabeth Riley. Riley is a practicing Roman Catholic.^[14]

On February 27, 2007, the Miami Heat were honored for their 2005–2006 NBA Championship at the White House. During the ceremony, Riley presented George W. Bush with a jersey before announcing, "I voted for the man. If you don’t vote, you don’t count." After the ceremony, Riley was questioned by reporters about the political nature of his comments. He responded by saying, "I’m pro-American, pro-democracy, I’m pro-government. I follow my boss. He’s my boss."^[15]

Riley and his wife are Bruce Springsteen fans. At his 2008 induction into the NBA Hall of Fame, he ended his speech with a quote from the Springsteen song, "Back in Your Arms Again".

College basketball statistics as a player[link]

NBA statistics as a player[link]