Lenny Wilkens, most prolific NBA coach and three-time Hall of Famer, dies at 88
Lenny Wilkens, the most prolific coach in NBA history who won a league championship and was inducted three times into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, died Sunday at his home. He was 88 years old.
Originally 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. Although Wikens has coached more games than anyone in NBA history, he has since been passed in the career wins category by Greg Popovich and Don Nelson.
“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. “But even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service – particularly 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 was a player-coach in Seattle from 1979 to 1972 – led the SuperSonics to the franchise’s only NBA title in 1979. He coached Team USA when the men’s basketball team won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, before serving as an assistant on the famed “Dream Team” that won gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Wilkens, whose number 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 anniversary teams.
The pinnacle of Wilkens’ coaching career was Seattle’s five-game victory over the defending champion Washington Bullets in the 1979 NBA Finals. The Sonics gained revenge after falling to the Bullets in seven games in the 1978 NBA Finals.
Wilkens continued his career with the Cavs, then won NBA Coach of the Year 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.
