When the Miami Heat selected guard Tyler Herro with the No. 13 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, he was able to fulfill more than just his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA.
Herro finally got to meet Hall of Fame coach and Heat team president Pat Riley.
“It was amazing, really a dream come true, to not only get drafted by the Heat, but then also to be here with Pat Riley and the rest of the coaching staff,” Herro said of his introduction to the Heat president.
“I met him two times before, just like shaking his hand before the draft. But I met him for the first time the morning after the draft, when I got here in Miami. I went to his office, he shook my hand. The first thing he gave me was a book — I still haven’t read the book, Coach Riley — I’m going to get to it, I promise. I need to get on that right now.”
It’s not surprising that Herro was excited to meet the man that drafted him.
Riley is one of the most respected figures in the sport.
The Hall of Famer has quite the resume, winning five championships as a head coach and another two as the Heat’s president.
Meanwhile, Herro has given Riley every indication that he made the right decision in the 2019 draft.
The University of Kentucky product is averaging 12.9 points per game while shooting nearly 40 percent from 3.
It’s the second time in three years that Riley struck gold at the end of the lottery.
In 2017, he nabbed another Kentucky star, center Bam Adebayo, with the No. 14 pick.
The big man was named to his first All-Star team this past season.
Should they continue to play at this level, Herro and Adebayo figure to be important parts of Miami’s plans for years to come.
