Lenny Wilkens, a three-time basketball hall of fame enductee who was inducted as both a player and coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88.
The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release the cause of death.
Wilkens was one of the best guards of his future who later brought his calm and calculated style to the residents, as a player coach and from one of the great coaches of the game.
He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a hall of famer as a player, as a coach and as part of the 1992 Olympic team – he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to gold in the Atlanta and 1996 games.
Wilkins coached the Toronto Raptors between 2000-2003, leading the team to two appearances.
“Lenny Wilkens represents the best of the NBA — as a hall of fame player, hall of fame coach,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny earned the unique distinction of being named one of the 75 greatest players and greatest coaches of all time.”
Today we lost a giant and a Seattle legend. Lenny Wilkens was a 3x Hall of Famer, Player, Coach. But more than that he was a striker who gave so much to our community. Rest in peace, coach. pic.twitter.com/8kkwebqfkg
Wilkens was a nine-star as a player, was the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and was the second person to be inducted into the basketball hall of fame as a player and coach. He coached the Seattle Wormonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained a fixture in that city for the rest of his life, often considered the man of the Oklahoma City franchise in 2008 and they have been trying to get the team back ever since.
And he did it all with kindness, something he was proud of.
“The radical leaders cried out,” Wilkens told Seattle’s Komo News earlier this year.
Wilkens, the 1994 NBA coach of Atlanta, based on 1,332 professional – League history previously passed by Don Nelson (retired with 1,335) and Gregg POPOVICH).
The God of Seattle Basketball
Wilkens played 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, instead of powerhouses, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. He was a five-time star with St. Louis, three times in Seattle and Cleveland in 1973 at the age of 1973.
“More impressive than lenny basketball, including two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, is his commitment to service – especially to his beloved community,” Silver said. “He influenced the lives of many young people and generations of players and coaches who looked up to Lenny not only as a colleague or an amazing coach who led with integrity and true class.”
Wilkens led the organization twice, but he was also a great person. He is short of double-doubles scored in every season of his career, except for his last in 1974-75 with the Blazers. His best season as a scorer came in his first season as a blocker in 1968-69 when he averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds.
Leonard Wilkens was born on oct. 28, 1937, New York. His Basketball School came to the playgrounds of Brooklyn and the town of Cowerhouse, then Boys High School, where one of his teammates was Major League Baseball Star Tommy Davis. He would go on to star at Providence College and was drafted by the Hawks as the first overall pick in 1960.
Player Hall of Fame, Coach Hall of Fame
His resume as a player would have been enough to put Wilkens in the hall of fame. What he did as a coach – with success and longevity – shaped his legacy.
Many other honors came as well, including being elected to the FIBA hall of Fame, the US Olympic Hall of Fame, the college basketball hall of fame, the Providence Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Cavaliers Wall of Honor.
His coaching includes two stints in Seattle for 11 seasons, two seasons in Portland – During his prime and in Atlanta, three seasons in Toronto and parts of two years with the Knicks.
Wilkens also has the most losses in NBA Coaching history with 1,155. But his success presented challenges. He guided the besiegers to their single-handed victory over Washington, a year after losing to them in the finals.
Wilkens moved into first place on the winning list on January 6, 1995, while coaching the Hawks. His 939 victories surpassed Dod Auerbach’s record. From there, he became the first coach to reach 1,000 career wins, a mark that has since been matched by nine others.
The Player’s Coach in 1969
The opportunity to play and coach at the same time was raised before the 1969 season when Wilkens was at the home of general manager Pick Vertlieb and played a recreational game of pool.
“I thought he was crazy,” Wilkens recalled. “I kept holding him, but he was persistent. Finally, we were getting closer to training camp, so I said, I’ll give it a try.” ‘
From there, he became frustrated with training.
Seattle trailed the Cincinnati Royals by four points with a few seconds left when Wilkens made a layup that led to a layup. After that, he ordered his players to go after the Royals. The Sonics stole the inbounds, scored and tied the game and won in overtime.
“I was like, “Wow!”” Wilkens said. “I did something as a coach that helped win, not as a player.”
After his coaching career ended in 2005, Wilkens returned to the shelter where he stayed throughout the offseason. Wilkens ran his foundation for decades, with its main beneficiary being the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in central Seattle.
He also returned to the role with other defenders in 2006 as the Chairman of the team, but he left the position a year later after the first became the new owner of the clear Bennett.
Wilkens is survived by his wife, Milynn; Their children, Leesha, Randy and Jameli; and seven grandchildren.
