6 months ago
3
Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined arsenic some a subordinate and a coach, has died, his household said connected Sunday (November 9, 2025). He was 88.
The household said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones erstwhile helium died and did not instantly merchandise a origin of death.
Wilkens was 1 of the finest constituent guards of his epoch who aboriginal brought his calm and savvy benignant to the sideline, archetypal arsenic a player-coach and past evolving into 1 of the game's large coaches.
He coached 2,487 games successful the NBA, which is inactive a record. He became a Hall of Famer arsenic a player, arsenic a manager and again arsenic portion of the 1992 U.S. Olympic squad — connected which helium was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to golden astatine the Atlanta Games arsenic good successful 1996.
“Lenny Wilkens represented the precise champion of the NBA — arsenic a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and 1 of the game’s astir respected ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said connected Sunday. “So overmuch truthful that, 4 years ago, Lenny received the unsocial favoritism of being named 1 of the league’s 75 top players and 15 top coaches of each time.”
Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star arsenic a player, was the archetypal idiosyncratic to scope 1,000 wins arsenic an NBA manager and was the 2nd idiosyncratic inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame arsenic a subordinate and coach. He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA rubric successful 1979 and remained iconic successful that metropolis for the remainder of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for hoops successful Seattle — which mislaid the Sonics to Oklahoma City successful 2008 and has been trying to get a squad backmost since.
And helium did it each with grace, thing helium was arrogant of.
“Leaders don’t outcry and scream,” Wilkens told Seattle’s KOMO News earlier this year.
Wilkens, the 1994 NBA manager of the twelvemonth with Atlanta, retired with 1,332 coaching wins — a league grounds that was aboriginal passed by Don Nelson (who retired with 1,335) and past Gregg Popovich ( who retired with 1,390).
Wilkens played 15 seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. He was an All-Star 5 times with St. Louis, 3 times successful Seattle and erstwhile with Cleveland successful 1973 astatine property 35. A statue depicting his clip with the SuperSonics was installed extracurricular Climate Pledge Arena successful June.
“Even much awesome than Lenny’s hoops accomplishments, which included 2 Olympic golden medals and an NBA championship, was his committedness to work — particularly successful his beloved assemblage of Seattle wherever a statue stands successful his honor,” Silver said. “He influenced the lives of countless young radical arsenic good arsenic generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not lone a large teammate oregon manager but besides an bonzer mentor who led with integrity and existent class.”
Wilkens doubly led the league successful assists but was besides a salient scorer. He averaged successful treble figures scoring successful each play of his career, but his last 1 successful 1974-75 with the Trail Blazers. His champion play arsenic a scorer came successful his archetypal play with the SuperSonics successful 1968-69 erstwhile helium averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds.
Leonard Wilkens was calved Oct. 28, 1937, successful New York. His hoops schooling came connected Brooklyn’s playgrounds and astatine a metropolis powerhouse, past Boys High School, wherever 1 of his teammates was large league shot prima Tommy Davis. He would spell connected to prima astatine Providence College and was drafted by the Hawks arsenic the sixth wide prime successful 1960.
His resume arsenic a subordinate would person been capable to enactment Wilkens successful information for the Hall of Fame. What helium accomplished arsenic a manager — some done occurrence and longevity — cemented his legacy.
Countless different honors besides came his way, including being elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, the College Basketball Hall of Fame, the Providence Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Wall of Honor.
His coaching stops included 2 stints successful Seattle totaling 11 seasons, 2 seasons successful Portland — during 1 of which helium inactive played and averaged 18 minutes per crippled — 7 seasons successful some Cleveland and Atlanta, 3 seasons successful Toronto and parts of 2 years with the Knicks.
Wilkens besides has the astir losses successful NBA coaching past with 1,155. But his successes outweighed the setbacks. He guided the SuperSonics to their lone title with a triumph implicit the past Washington Bullets, a twelvemonth aft losing to them successful the Finals.
Wilkens moved into archetypal spot connected the wins database connected Jan. 6, 1995, portion coaching the Hawks. His 939th triumph surpassed Red Auerbach’s record. From there, helium became the archetypal manager to scope 1,000 vocation wins, a people since matched by 9 others.
The anticipation of playing and coaching astatine the aforesaid clip was raised earlier the 1969 play erstwhile Wilkens was astatine the location of SuperSonics wide manager Dick Vertlieb and playing a leisurely crippled of pool.
“I thought helium was crazy,” Wilkens recalled. “I kept putting him off, but helium was persistent. Finally, we were getting truthful adjacent to grooming camp, truthful I said, ‘What the heck, I’ll effort it.’”
From there, helium became progressively enamored with coaching.
Seattle trailed the Cincinnati Royals by 4 points with a fewer seconds remaining erstwhile Wilkens acceptable up a play that resulted successful a dunk. Then, helium ordered his players to property since the Royals were retired of timeouts. The Sonics stole the inbounds pass, scored again to necktie the crippled and won successful overtime.
“I was like, ‘Wow!”’ Wilkens said. “I had conscionable done thing arsenic a manager that helped america win, not arsenic a player.”
After his coaching vocation ended successful 2005, Wilkens returned to the Seattle country wherever helium lived each offseason. Wilkens ran his instauration for decades, with its superior benefactor being the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic successful Seattle’s Central District.
He besides restored a relation with the SuperSonics successful 2006 arsenic the team’s vice chairman, but helium near the station a twelvemonth aboriginal aft it became wide caller proprietor Clay Bennett wanted to determination the nine retired of Seattle.
Wilkens is survived by his wife, Marilyn; their children, Leesha, Randy and Jamee; and 7 grandchildren.
