Pat Riley's admission on how many more rings Miami would have if LeBron stayed

The 79-year-old ex-player, coach and executive in the NBA has won nine rings across his different roles in the league.

With the most recent coming during Miami Heat's back to back championships wins in 2012 and 2013 where Pat Riley presided over a team that had both LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The trio were dubbed the 'Big Three' and had a grip on the league as they reached four consecutive finals between 2011 and 2014.

James' decision to leave Miami in 2014 was a massive blow to the franchise's hopes of continuing their success with the four-time NBA champion leaving the team to return to Ohio and re-join the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 39-year-old would go on to lead the Cavaliers to their first NBA title in franchise history.

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However, Riley admitted it hurt him that James decided to leave just because of how many more championships they could have won had he decided to stay.

"It didn't upset me, but it hurt that we couldn't keep that team together because I think it was a five or six championship team," Riley said.

"If we could have kept them all together and stayed healthy from that standpoint."

Despite Riley's admission the likelihood of this being the case is arguably low with the fall-out from the defeat to the San Antonio Spurs, Chris Bosh retiring soon after due to health issues and Dwyane Wade entering the final stages of his career.

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This put up against the fact that the Golden State Warriors were beginning their dynasty, it is arguably a reach to suggest Miami would win five or more championships.

Also Wade, a three-time NBA champion and James' teammate at the time, revealed on an episode of Shannon Sharpe's podcast, Club Shay Shay, that he was furious that James had left.

""Was there a part of me that's a little pissed? Yes. I'm human. I don't wanna lose the best player in the game. Why did we lose him? Wade said.

"Now, I gotta figure out my future. I had given up my stardom and my place for you to step in and help lead us."

While another teammate of Lebron, Heat Guard Norris Cole admitted that Riley was also upset and took it personal that James had left and it threw the franchise into uncertainty.

"He was upset when [LeBron James] left. It was a lot of tension and it took him a while to get over that. It wasn't a good feeling, but now your roles change on the team, Cole said on an episode of Run Your Race.

For LeBron his departure has been relatively successful, since he left in 2014 the 39-year-old has reached another five NBA finals, winning two of them. Once in 2016 with the Cavs and another in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meanwhile the Heat are yet to add their championship collection since James' departure.