MIAMI (AP) — Pat Riley first met Giorgio Armani in Milan in 1982, when the Italian designer told the then up-and-coming coach that he could make him beautiful suits.
Armani delivered. Riley was hooked.
“A navy blue Gable Classic,” Riley, now president of the Miami Heat, recalled Friday. “I have never worn anything else since then.”
Riley — a trendsetter in bringing high-end fashion to NBA sidelines — spent almost the entirety of his Hall of Fame coaching career wearing Armani, and he is one of many voices from around the sports world to offer memories in response to the iconic designer's passing. Armani died Thursday at the age of 91.
At the European basketball championships, Italy's national team played Thursday just hours after the news was announced. Much of Italy coach Gianmarco P