Co-Sculptor Sean Michael Bell Discusses the New Pat Riley Statue at Crypto.com Arena

The Pat Riley Statue Unveiling

• 🏀 A new statue of legendary coach Pat Riley was unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena, commemorating his success with the Showtime Lakers.
• 🎨 Sean Michael Bell, one of the co-sculptors, detailed the months-long creative process to capture Riley's likeness.
• 👔 The statue features Riley in an Armani suit with his signature slicked-back hair, aiming to represent him during his "heyday."
• 🗣️ Bell emphasized the importance of getting the hair right, a detail also highlighted by Riley's wife.

Statue Details and Significance

• 🌟 The 8-foot-tall bronze statue is located in Star Plaza, near the statues of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
• 🏆 Pat Riley, 80, coached the Lakers for 9 seasons in the 80s, leading them to 4 championships and a 73% win rate.
• 🏅 Riley was emotional upon learning about the statue, reflecting on his motivational principles: "Chase excellence, live by standards, pound an opportunity, endure adversity, and when it comes time to kick some ass, you do it."

Lakers Ticket Price Increases

• 📈 Following a $10 billion controlling stake purchase by Mark Walter's company, the Lakers are significantly raising season ticket prices for the next season.
• 💸 Even 300-level seats have seen price increases of 30-67%, with one fan reporting a 45% jump from over $6,000 to more than $9,000 for season tickets.
• ⏳ Despite the price hikes, there is a waitlist for Lakers season tickets, allowing the team to implement these increases.

Future Statues and Inscriptions

• ❓ When asked about the next Lakers legend to be honored with a statue, Bell stated it's up to the Lakers organization, but Phil Jackson is a popular suggestion online.
• ✅ The sculpting team worked closely with the granite company and the Lakers organization to ensure all inscriptions on the statue were correct and free of misspellings, avoiding issues seen with other statues.