During the Miami Heat’s Big 3 era, NBA legend LeBron James got a close look at how Heat president Pat Riley operates.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, James “treasures his education” that he received from Riley.
“My education in my four years in Miami, I treasure,” Windhorst said of himself. “I know LeBron treasures his education he got from Pat Riley, even if that relationship didn’t go great. But the Miami Heat are tremendous because of Riley.”
Playing alongside fellow stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James spent four years with the Heat, and all of them were memorable.
The trio helped the franchise reach the NBA Finals in all four seasons together. While the Heat fell short of the ultimate goal in two of those trips, they were able to capture championships in 2012 and 2013, cementing the Big 3 as one of the most dominant groups in league history.
From an individual perspective, James enjoyed some of the best years of his career during his tenure with the Heat. He won two league MVP awards with Miami, and in those two seasons, he also took home Finals MVP honors after helping the Heat win it all.
In total, Riley has brought three championships to Miami. The other one came before the Big 3 era, as Wade and legendary big man Shaquille O’Neal helped the Heat reach the promised land in 2006. Riley was both the head coach and president of the organization at the time.
While Riley hasn’t been able to bring another title to South Florida since the Big 3 era, he has come close, with the Heat reaching the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023 but losing both times.
Unfortunately, in recent years, Riley’s roster-building techniques have faced criticism at times. Some feel that the franchise hasn’t made good use of star veteran Jimmy Butler’s time with the team.
Critics sometimes point to the NBA Finals trips in 2020 and 2023 as evidence that the roster is almost there — and certainly worth investing in — but the Heat haven’t been overly aggressive in adding major talent.
With any luck, the upcoming season will feature some magic for the franchise. The Heat are hoping to return as championship contenders after they took a quick exit from the 2024 NBA Playoffs with Butler injured.