Three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams responded to comments made by former NBA player Jeff Teague, who suggested that the Heat should “get rid of” president Pat Riley.
Williams was speaking on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back, where he’s a regular analyst.
“We make so much about Pat Riley and his treatment of superstars when they get into the latter years of their career,” Williams said. “Do we not supposed to hold front office personnel just as accountable when they get to a certain age?”
Williams went on to elaborate on Riley’s age and how it might affect his role as an executive, noting that his comments came just one day after Riley’s 80th birthday.
“I think just, naturally, when you’re 80 years old, there’s things that you probably don’t understand or get when it comes to the culture of players now,” Williams said.
With 17 seasons in the NBA under his belt, Williams provided further context for his remarks.
“I would ask the question, when do we start holding our execs accountable on the same level of players when they say you’re too old or you’re too this?” Williams added. “Now, I’ve never worked alongside Pat Riley. I’ve never been a player that’s played under him. I’ve never been a Miami Heat guy. I can’t speak to his impact day-in and day-out.
“I only know what I know from this vantage point, but, you know, Jeff’s saying that they need to get rid of Pat Riley. I’m not gonna say they need to get to it because I can’t speak to that based on experience, but I wanna pose the question.”
Williams continued by reflecting on the evolution of the game and the challenges posed by Riley’s age.
“Eighty years old in 2025, with how much the game has changed, it’s evolved, what’s accepted, and how guys carry themselves and what’s deemed to be a successful way of getting to championships and winning basketball games, why not ask the question?” Williams said.
Pat Riley's name is on the court Erik Spoelstra coaches on in Miami…could Spo be calling plays from Riley's office next? 🤔@MichelleDBeadle & @TeamLou23 think that when the time comes, Riley's successor may already be a part of Heat Culture 👀 pic.twitter.com/avrMSPEx7k
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 21, 2025
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It’s a fair question, but let us also be fair and start that question with the right people.
Riley’s won some more rings, plural, just nearly a decade ago.
Jimmy Haslem refused to meet with Miles Garrett. And never won anything anywhere.
Let’s start with the right people.