MIAMI _ In an introspective piece on Pat Riley in ESPN The Magazine that was released Tuesday, the Miami Heat president revealed that he signed a five-year contract extension with the team last year, with the caveat that the tenure does not necessarily include continuing to work from South Florida.
The article, "Pat Riley's Final Test" in the magazine's May 8 issue details both Riley's career as well as the Heat's push from 11-30 at midseason to falling shy of a playoff berth due to a tiebreaker.
In the passage regarding the extension, which was not announced by the team, actor Michael Douglas, a long-time friend, discusses Riley's desire to return to Southern California and the ongoing pull of returning the Heat to a championship level.
"I love the schism because that's all he talks about," Douglas said. "That's all he talks about, getting back to Malibu to that house."
The article ends with Riley musing: "You know the greatest lie in the world? Pat's retiring to Malibu."
The article also offers additional insight into the Heat's partings with both LeBron James during 2014 free agency and then with Dwyane Wade last summer.
As has been previously chronicled, Riley's meeting with James in July 2014 left Riley aware of the likelihood of losing James back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to the story authored by ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson, Riley recognized the futility of the effort as soon as he noticed James' manager, Maverick Carter, was not present for that meeting, with Riley at that point telling general manager Andy Elisburg not to bother bringing in the NBA champion trophies James helped the Heat win in 2012 and '13.
Of being delivered the news by James, Riley said in the magazine: "I was silent. I didn't say anything. My mind began to just go. And it was over. I was very angry when LeBron left. It was personal for me. It just was. I had a very good friend who talked me off the ledge and kept me from going out there and saying something like Dan Gilbert. I'm glad I didn't do it."
It was four years earlier when Gilbert, the Cavaliers' owner, had penned a scathing email about James' 2010 free-agency defection to the Heat.
