Pat Riley: I won’t retire ‘until we win another title’

ESPN will debut the new show “The Art of Conversation with Dan LeBatard” Sunday. LeBatard, the longtime Miami-based sports journalist and commentator, will have Pat Riley on for his first episode.

And from a clip released today, it doesn’t look like Riley will retire as the Heat President anytime soon.

In the clip, Riley references Dwyane Wade saying in Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals that he “ain’t going out like this” with the Heat facing a 13-point deficit and down 0-2 in the series. And then Riley adds, “Maybe that’s not why I’m going to retire. I ain’t going out this way, until we win another title.”

The Heat President also said in the interview excerpt that he saw a “10-year team” go away when LeBron James signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. However, Chris Bosh began to suffer from blood clots in 2015. Miami’s “championship window” may have closed even if James re-signed with the Heat.

In a 2017 profile authored by Wright Thompson for ESPN, Riley said that he needed to win one more title, and that it would be the hardest one to get. Riley, who joined the Heat in 1995, turns 74 years old in March.

As I’ve said before, the Heat’s three franchise cornerstones are Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo. The Heat need to build a team around those young players — preferably with a superstar at the helm — to get back into championship contention.