Lenny Wilkens, the most prolific coach in NBA history who won a league championship and got inducted three times into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, died at his home on Sunday. He was 88 years old.
Initially a legendary player for the Hawks, SuperSonics and Cavaliers, Wilkens continued his career as the winningest (and losingest) coach in NBA history at the time of his retirement. While Wikens has coached more games than anyone else in NBA history, he has since been passed in the career wins category by Greg Popovich and Don Nelson.
“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 said in a statement. “But 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.
“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 — who served as a player-coach for Seattle from 1979-72 — led the SuperSonics to the franchise’s only NBA title in 1979. He coached Team USA when the men’s basketball team won the gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, previously serving as an assistant on the famed “Dream Team” squad that captured gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Wilkens, whose No. 19 was retired by the Sonics, received his first Hall of Fame induction in 1989 for his 15-year playing career, which included nine All-Star selections and an All-Star Game MVP in 1971. He was named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th All-Anniversary teams.
The pinnacle of Wilkens’ coaching career was Seattle’s five-game series win over the defending champion Washington Bullets in the 1979 NBA Finals. The Sonics extracted revenge after falling to the Bullets in seven games during the 1978 NBA Finals.
Wilkens continued his career Cavs, then won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1994 after leading the Hawks to a 52-27 regular-season record. He finished his career with short coaching stints with the Raptors and Knicks, taking both teams to the playoffs.
In 2021, Wilkens was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history. He received his second Hall of Fame induction for his coaching in 1998 and his third in 2009 for his Olympic career.
A two-time All-American at Providence, Wilkens was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
