Hall of Fame Former Trail Blazers Coach Dies at 88

Oct 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Former Seattle Supersonics head coach Lenny Wilkens acknowledges the fans after being introduced during a third quarter timeout of a preseason game between the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Former NBA player and head coach Lenny Wilkens passed away at his home on Sunday. He was 88 years old.

Wilkens is one of just five people who has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach.

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“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,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “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 an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.”

Wilkens was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1937 and played college basketball at Providence College. He was one of the inaugural inductees into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Wilkens spent the first eight seasons of his career with the St. Louis Hawks, before spending time with the Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers.

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Wilkens scored 17,772 points in his career and was a nine-time NBA All-Star. He was named the 75th greatest player in NBA history by The Athletic.

Wilkens' coaching career began before his playing career came to a conclusion. He was a player-coach for the SuperSonics from 1969-72 and spent his final season in the NBA as a player-coach for the Trail Blazers.

He spent the first season after his playing career as a coach for the Trail Blazers before spending eight years as the SuperSonics' coach. In 1979, he won his only NBA championship, defeating the Washington Bullets.

A Decorated Coaching Career

Wilkens went on to spend stints as the head coach of the Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks. Wilkens' head coaching career ended in 2005.

For Wilkens, his career as a player and a coach surpassed his wildest dreams.

“It’s something I never dreamed of. I mean how could you dream of being in the Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach, even though when I talk with young people all the time I dare them to accept challenges to be great and to dream dreams of greatness. But this is a dream for me that has come true,” Wilkens said during his Hall of Fame induction as a coach in 1998.

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