The legendary Lenny Wilkens, a member of the NBA Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, passed away at the age of 88, his family announced this Sunday (9).
Wilkens was a stylish point guard during his 15-year playing career. He participated in nine editions of the NBA All-Star Game and led the league in assists on two occasions.
He served as a player-coach for four seasons — three with the Seattle SuperSonics and one with the Portland Trail Blazers — before beginning a career as a full-time coach that would become one of the most notable in basketball history.
Wilkens led the SuperSonics to their only NBA title in 1979. He also managed the Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, in a coaching career that spanned from 1969 to 2005.
His 2,487 games as a coach are an NBA record, and his 1,332 wins place him in historic third behind Gregg Popovich (1,388) and Don Nelson (1,335).
He also won the Olympic gold medal as coach of the United States men’s national team at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Wilkens is one of only five men inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach, along with John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and Bill Russell.
“Lenny Wilkens represented the best of the NBA: as a Hall of Fame player, a Hall of Fame coach and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“Four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s top 75 players and one of the league’s top 15 coaches of all time. But even more impressive than his basketball achievements — including two Olympic golds and an NBA championship — was his commitment to service, especially in his beloved community of Seattle, where a statue stands in his honor,” Silver added.
“He was an extraordinary man. Just an incredible man,” said Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played more than three seasons under Wilkens in Cleveland early in his career.
“What I remember most is his dignity,” Kerr added. “He was a person with great dignity and an exceptional leader, with a calm and discreet confidence.”
