Pat Riley Responds to Critics Calling Him 'Washed' amid Heat Struggles: 'Maybe I Am'
January 10, 2025
Miami Heat president Pat Riley isn't worried about facing criticism, although he acknowledged that he's been part of the NBA for a long time.
When asked about getting called "washed up" during a Thursday appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show, the 79-year-old responded.
"I don't worry about what critics say because, you know—maybe I am—maybe I should you know go somewhere and just sort of put my feet up," Riley said (2:07:25 mark). "But I would then become very compulsive obsessive about doing something else, and you don't want me in that state of mind."
The Heat sit at No. 7 in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 18-17 this season.
Riley started his NBA journey on the court, suiting up for three teams during his nine year career from 1968-76. He then transitioned to coaching starting with the 1981-82 season, serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks before joining the Heat in 1995.
He was Miami's head coach as well as the team's president before taking on a full-time front office role in 2008.
Riley's overall tenure with the organization has undoubtedly been successful, winning three of his nine total championships with the Heat.
The team has struggled following a trip to the NBA Finals in 2023, though. The Heat were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the 2023-24 season, failing to add a third star next to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Miami has struggled with inconsistency throughout its 2024-25 campaign, while ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst reported on Jan. 2 that Butler indicated to the team that he wanted to be traded.
A rift between Butler and Riley was also revealed.
"The Butler-Heat relationship has been tense since last spring when Riley announced the team would not extend Butler's contract before the 2024-25 season," Charania and Windhorst wrote.
Miami hasn't been able to meet expectations to open the year and is currently dealing with a star trade request, but Riley isn't focused on letting criticism affect him.