Chiefs, Pat Riley strike deal for use of “Three-Peat”

After the Lakers won consecutive NBA titles in the late 1980s, coach Pat Riley made a savvy business move. He squatted on the rights to the term “Three-Peat.”

And even though the Lakers failed to win three consecutive championships, Riley has been winning ever since.

Via Darren Rovell of clict.com, Riley and the Chiefs have a deal in place for the use of the phrase, if the Chiefs become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.

Riley’s attorney, John Aldrich, told Rovell that any royalties would be paid to the Pat Riley Family Foundation. Aldrich would not comment on the specifics of the deal between Riley and the Chiefs.

The phrase has been licensed by Riley for use after the Chicago Bulls won three titles in a row, twice, when the Yankees won three straight World Series from 1998 through 2000, and when the Lakers eventually won three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 through 2002.

The Chiefs probably aren’t thrilled that the news of the deal came out. Coaches and players use anything they can to find extra motivation, and the Eagles will surely try to couch their Super Bowl opponent’s advance planning as presumptuous and disrespectful.