Miami Heat team president Pat Riley not only dominates as an excutive but also during his more than 20-year coaching career.

Shaquille O’Neal was one of many legends to play under Riley, consistently praising his knowledge of the game. When the comparison between Riley and Los Angeles Lakers first-year coach J.J. Redick was brought up by Pat McAfee, O’Neal was outraged.

“No, stop it,” O’Neal said in regards to the comparison. “Don’t even. No, stop it. First of all, J.J. is a nice guy. Pat Riley is the man. So, imagine you come in and [expletive] J.J. Redick starts yelling at you. It’s going to be a [expletive] fight in there. Players ain’t going for all that yelling and all that screaming and all that extra running. Next Pat Riley my [expletive].”

Riley won five NBA championships as a coach, the final coming with O’Neal and Dwyane Wade on the Heat in 2006. He also earned three Coach of the Year awards before passing the torch to coach Erik Spoelstra following the 2008 season. Spoelstra picked up right where Riley left off, winning two titles and making half a dozen Finals appearances.

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Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

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