Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 21, 1990                   TAG: 9006210422
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

RILEY TO HOST NBC BASKETBALL

"Next season, I hope to be rookie of the year for NBC," Riley said Wednesday.

Only nine days after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, Riley was hired to host NBC's first season of NBA coverage. The announcement wasn't a surprise, but the role was.

Riley, who guided the Lakers to four NBA titles, was expected to join NBC as a commentator. Instead, he will anchor the network's pregame, halftime and postgame shows during the regular season and playoffs.

"Coaching the Lakers for nine years was a great challenge. Now I'm ready for a new challenge at NBC," Riley said at a news conference attended by NBC Sports executives and NBA commissioner David Stern.

Terms of Riley's multiyear contract weren't disclosed, but sources said he will be paid about $400,000 annually.

Bob Costas and Marv Albert will share play-by-play duties, but NBC has yet to name its NBA game analysts. NBC wants to hire Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly, but he hasn't decided whether to leave coaching for television.

"We hope to have an answer by next week," said Dick Ebersol, president of NBC Sports.

Last November, NBC took the NBA away from CBS with a four-year, $601 million deal. On Wednesday, the network grabbed Riley away from a life of leisure in Southern California.

During his "Showtime" years with the Lakers, Riley was known as much for his classy wardrobe as his classy teams.

"Do you know the most intimidating thing in sports today?" NBC executive producer Terry O'Neil joked. "It's dressing for a press conference with Pat Riley."

But O'Neil said Riley's looks weren't the main attraction.

"He has two very important traits - likeability and honesty," O'Neil said. "He has no formal training in journalism, but he has a reverence for the truth."

Riley, who was a Lakers' broadcaster for two years before becoming an assistant coach, is confident he can make the transition from the bench to the studio.

Despite his friendships in the NBA, Riley said he won't shy away from tough issues.

"I've been around the league a long time, and I have a pretty good idea of what goes on there," he said. "If there's a story worth telling, we're going to tell it."

O'Neil said NBC decided to make Riley a host instead of a game analyst to "exploit his on-camera ability."

But Riley had another explanation.

"I didn't want to mess this up with headphones," he laughed, pointing to his meticulous slick-back hairdo. "I've got to maintain my image."