Pat Riley admits he's thought about return to Lakers

With the Los Angeles Lakers seemingly in disarray, a former legendary coach of the franchise said the idea of returning to the purple and gold has at least crossed his mind.

However, Pat Riley said Monday nobody from the Lakers has ever contacted him.

"I have thought (about returning to the Lakers) only from a sentimental standpoint," Riley told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan. "But I was never pursued by them. Nobody officially contacted me. I have about 20 friends wishing I would come back, but nobody asked."

Riley has been with the Miami Heat since 1995 in the role of team president and has had two stints as coach.

The 74-year-old also backed his former player Magic Johnson, who quit as Lakers president last month before eviscerating general manager Rob Pelinka and L.A.'s front office in a TV interview.

"I'll tell you about Earvin - and it's what I love about him, but also what I have cautioned him about - he's going to speak his mind. If that's how he felt, that's how he felt."

Riley coached Johnson and the Lakers to five NBA titles in the "Showtime" era. The former coach seemed to agree with Johnson's assertion that Lakers owner Jeanie Buss has too many voices in her ear when it comes to the direction of the franchise.

"This kind of shit goes on in organizations every day," Riley said. "The organization gets too big, there are too many people who have been around a long time, and they start voicing their opinion about things, and that's when the culture starts to crack ... maybe Earvin's honesty will do something to get (the Lakers) thinking."