Legendary National Basketball Association player and coach Lenny Wilkens died on Sunday. He was 88.
Wilkens was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a great player and a great coach. He is one of only five men to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach.
After a brilliant 15-year career as a player, Wilkens joined the coaching ranks and finished his career as one of the best in the history of the game. As a coach, Wilkens won 1,332 games, which is third on the all-time list. He led the Seattle Supersonics to the NBA championship in 1979, which is the only world title in the history of the franchise.
A smooth 6’1” left-handed point guard, Wilkens spent the first eight years of his playing career with the St. Louis Hawks. After a standout collegiate career at Providence College, he was drafted by the Hawks in the first round with the No. 6 pick. He was a five-time All-Star with the Hawks and he led them to the playoffs on a consistent basis.
Wilkens finished his career with 17,772 yards, 5,030 rebounds and 7,211 assists. He was a nine-time NBA All-Star. He led the league in assists in 1970 as a member of the Supersonics. He was also selected to the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams.
Wilkens was also the head coach of the USA Olympic men’s basketball team that won the gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta. He was also an assistant coach on the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” that also won a gold medal.