Haute 100 Miami Update: Pat Riley

Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. As the president of arguably the hottest current basketball team, Pat Riley caught our attention today.

Pat Riley

Category: Thinkers

Company: Miami Heat

Industry: Basketball

What Makes Him Haute: Now in his 15th year with the Miami Heat, Pat Riley led the team to its first NBA championship in 2006 as the team’s head coach. As its president, he was the force responsible for bringing some of the biggest names in the NBA to Miami, including Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker, as well as other all-stars. Riley’s NBA career spans 38 years as a player, assistant coach, head coach, administrator, and broadcaster, and he has produced seven NBA championships. He has more wins than all but two other individuals under his belt. This impressive list of accomplishments earned him a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which is the NBA’s biggest honor.

What Makes Him Haute Now: Pat Riley’s smile extends wide across his face, and it’s not surprising he’s so blissful: the losing streak that weighed him down for two seasons, and that “forced him to the 19th-floor balcony of the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles” after another terrible loss, looks to be after now that he has jumped on the opportunity to recruit LeBron James and Chris Bosh onto his team. But the team’s president is not only reeling from that; the mood in the locker room seems to be a lot lighter, as well, with contrasting the tension last year due to the fight between him and his star player, Dwyane Wade. And the fans? They’re filling up the once nearly-empty stadium in masses so large that they have put the sale’s staff out of jobs, thereby making the team and its president very happy. From the looks of everything, it seems this season is very likely to award Riley with one of the three championship rings he needs to be able to decorate his 10 fingers.

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