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Why does Heat president Pat Riley want the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIX

Miami Heat minority owner and president Pat Riley will be watching Super Bowl LIX intently hoping that the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

Miami Heat minority owner and president Pat Riley will be watching Super Bowl LIX intently hoping that the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
TAMI CHAPPELLREUTERS

I write this article weary that I might have to pay royalties should Pat Riley see it. The Kansas City Chiefs are a game away from a historic three-peat, and Pat Riley is crossing his fingers that Patrick Mahomes can lead the two time defending champs to another Lombardi Trophy so he can cash in, again.

Riley rooting for Mahomes and Chiefs

Before Riley became Miami Heat president and minority owner, he was a legendary coach in the NBA. He was the boss of some of the most historic franchises in the league, including the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers.

While he was with the Lakers he built a dynasty in the City of Angels, winning four NBA titles Los Angeles during the showtime era with Magic Johnson and Kareen Abdul-Jabbar.

Towards the end of his reign in LA, the Lakers won back-to-back titles and it was one of his players, Byron Scott, who came up with the term “three-peat” to motivate his teammates to bring a third consecutive Larry O’Brien trophy to Los Angeles. The Lakers fell short, making the Finals but getting swept by the Detroit Pistons in the 1988/89 season.

Lakers got their three-peat without Riles

While the heartbreak of falling short of the three-peat was real, Riley continues to collect checks despite the Lakers shortcomings in the title series because his company “Riles & Co.” trademarked the term. Since then, any time the term “three-peat” has been used for commercial and financial gain Riley’s bank account gets even fatter.

The Chicago Bulls would go for a three-peat two times in the 90s, once form 1991-93 and again when Michael Jordan returned from retirement and led Chicago to titles from 1996-98. The Lakers would finally get their three peat from 2000-2002, and even though Riley wasn’t with the team, he still got paid. The exact number isn’t known but just from the Bulls’ two three peats, Riley earned almost a million dollars.

Now the Chiefs are on an unprecedented three-peat, which would be the first in NFL history. The Heat don’t have a game on Super Bowl Sunday so you can bet that Pat Riley and Riles & Co. will be watching with vested interest and while maybe even wearing a Travis Kelce jersey while listening to Taylor Swift.

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