By TIM BOOTH and ANDREW DESTIN
SEATTLE — Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Corridor of Fame who was enshrined as each a participant and a coach, has died, his household stated Sunday. He was 88.
The household stated Wilkens was surrounded by family members when he died and didn’t instantly launch a reason for demise.
Wilkens was one of many most interesting level guards of his period who later introduced his calm and savvy model to the sideline, first as a player-coach after which evolving into one of many recreation’s nice coaches.
He coached 2,487 video games within the NBA, which continues to be a document. He turned a Corridor of Famer as a participant, as a coach and once more as a part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic crew — on which he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Individuals to gold on the Atlanta Video games as nicely in 1996.
“Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA — as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated Sunday. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.”
Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a participant, was the primary particular person to achieve 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second particular person inducted into the Basketball Corridor of Fame as a participant and coach. He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that metropolis for the remainder of his life, usually being thought-about a godfather of types for basketball in Seattle — which misplaced the Sonics to Oklahoma Metropolis in 2008 and has been making an attempt to get a crew again since.
And he did all of it with grace, one thing he was happy with.
Wilkens, the 1994 NBA coach of the 12 months with Atlanta, retired with 1,332 teaching wins — a league document that was later handed by Don Nelson (who retired with 1,335) after which Gregg Popovich (who retired with 1,390).
Wilkens performed 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Path Blazers. He was an All-Star 5 instances with St. Louis, 3 times in Seattle and as soon as with Cleveland in 1973 at age 35. A statue depicting his time with the SuperSonics was put in outdoors Local weather Pledge Enviornment in June.
“Even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service — especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor,” Silver stated. “He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.”
Wilkens twice led the league in assists however was additionally a distinguished scorer. He averaged in double figures scoring in each season of his profession, besides his last one in 1974-75 with the Path Blazers. His finest season as a scorer got here in his first season with the SuperSonics in 1968-69 when he averaged 22.4 factors, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds.
Leonard Wilkens was born on Oct. 28, 1937, in New York. His basketball education got here on Brooklyn’s playgrounds and at a metropolis powerhouse, then Boys Excessive Faculty, the place certainly one of his teammates was main league baseball star Tommy Davis. He would go on to star at Windfall and was drafted by the Hawks because the sixth general decide in 1960.
