Pat Riley Addresses His Miami Heat Future in Strong Statement

Miami Heat president Pat Riley took the podium for his annual press conference with reporters following the team’s 2025-26 NBA season on Monday.

The Heat missed the 2026 playoffs after suffering an NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Charlotte Hornets on April 14.

Riley, 81, addressed retirement rumors with a definitive statement during Monday’s press conference.

“I’m not going to retire. I’m not going to resign. I’m not going to step aside,” Riley said, via NBA writer Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. “I have the same attitude as I had in that press conference on the Imagination, period. I want another parade down Biscayne Boulevard. It may come. It may not.”

Riley admitted that he’s not happy with the franchise’s recent performance.

“I’m really pissed. I’m disappointed. Disgruntled, just like everybody else in the organization is that understands what we’re about,” he continued. “We’re about winning.”

The Heat narrowly made the NBA Play-In Tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference after posting a 43-39 regular-season record. Miami’s season came to an end with a 127-126 overtime loss to the Hornets, which included an injury for All-Star center Bam Adebayo.

Riley said Adebayo is untouchable in trade talks.

“I want to build this thing around Bam,” Riley said of the Heat’s franchise centerpiece.

The Heat have not made it past the first round of the NBA playoffs since Jimmy Butler led the team to the NBA Finals in 2022-23, where they ultimately lost in five games to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 2:59 PM.