Back in 2000, when the iconic Pat Riley was coaching the Miami Heat, there was speculation about how badly he treated his players and why it was detrimental to the team’s success. In an article by Frank Hughes of ESPN, an anonymous player source once leaked that no free agent wanted to take their talents to Miami because of Riley’s my-way-or-the-highway mentality.
"Obviously, he got some good players," the player told ESPN . "But you still have to be a good person, and it's still a job. I've heard stories where he refuses to let wives go on trips, he doesn't respect you as a person, he doesn't want to treat you like an adult. We are not little kids anymore."
Riley’s leadership style
The rumor about Riley not allowing players to bring their wives during road trips remains a mystery, but what’s certain is that he was a stern leader. That’s why, in 2000 free agency, Joe Smith decided to go to the Detroit Pistons instead of the Heat, adding further proof that not everyone wanted to play for “The Godfather.”
Even those who have played for him, specifically Hall of Famers like James Worthy and Shaquille O’Neal , would be the first ones to say that Riley was tough on his players, but for good reason. The nine-time NBA champion always wanted his teams to be disciplined.
In fairness to the current Heat president, though, his philosophy has helped him climb up the ranks in the NBA. Even if one can argue that his leadership style is old school, there’s no denying that it still works. Just look at the Heat organization—one of the most successful franchises in the NBA—throughout these last few years.
“The culture is real. When people talk about it, it’s all real. He believes in being the hardest working team, unliked, little nasty, but he believes in that culture that has been successful. There’s a standard that comes with that that’s expected. To be the best athlete you can be, you have to be in the best shape, and he believes in that,” Udonis Haslem, who spent 20 years with the Heat organization, said in his appearance on the “Knuckleheads Podcast.”
Related: When Bird predicted MJ would become the future of the NBA during his rookie year: "Pretty soon, this place will be packed every night, not just when the Celtics come to town"
Pat’s only regret
As someone who has been in the NBA for exactly 57 years, Riley has had his fair share of accomplishments, failures, and everything else in between. He once admitted that he’d never take those losses back, but what “The Godfather” wishes he could change is how he once treated his players.
"I wouldn't do it differently, but I would have talked to players differently because I was a yeller and screamer. That's what it was. And so now we can do a therapy session, take me all the way back to my upbringing. I don't want to do that," Riley said in his appearance on Dwyane Wade’s podcast “ The Why with Dwyane Wade .”
Perhaps that’s the closest we’ll hear Riley admit that he could’ve been a better leader. But ultimately, he knows that his leadership style is one of the many reasons why he’s considered a legend in the NBA.
Related: "I probably would have been fired a few times with another organization" - Spoelstra speaks on how much Pat Riley's trust means to him
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