Lenny Wilkens, Hall of Famer and coach, passes at 88 after legendary NBA career and lasting impact on the game
Wilkens’ 15-year playing career featured remarkable accomplishments, including nine All-Star appearances and twice leading the league in assists. Known for his exceptional on-court understanding, he took on the unique player-coach role for four seasons, three with the Seattle SuperSonics and one with the Portland Trail Blazers, before devoting himself fully to coaching. His leadership culminated in leading the SuperSonics to the 1979 NBA championship, and he was later honored as NBA Coach of the Year in 1994.
Before retiring in 2005, Wilkens amassed 1,332 coaching victories, the third-most in NBA history, while leading the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks. He holds the record for most games coached in NBA history with 2,487 games and also led the 1996 U.S. Olympic basketball team to a gold medal.
Wilkens is one of five people inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, along with John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and Bill Russell.
“Lenny Wilkens represented the NBA’s best as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “So much so that four years ago Lenny had the distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 best players and one of the top 15 coaches of all time.”
The rise of NBA Legend Lenny Wilkens
Wilkens grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. His father, a chauffeur, passed away when Wilkens was only five years old; His mother worked in a sugar factory to support the family. He didn’t join the basketball team until his senior year of high school, but a parish priest advocated on his behalf, and despite his limited experience, he wrote a letter to Providence College’s athletic director to request a scholarship. Wilkens became Providence’s first major basketball star and earned All-American honors twice during his college career.
Wilkens guided Providence College to its first National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearance in 1959 and then to the NIT finals in 1960. His impact was later immortalized when Providence retired jersey No. 14 in 1996, the first in school history. In 2006, he was also honored as a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.
In 1968, Wilkens was traded to the newly formed Seattle SuperSonics. He quickly became an important contributor, averaging 22.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists in his first season with the team. He earned All-Star honors in three seasons during his tenure in Seattle, cementing his status as one of the franchise’s first standout players.
In his third season as player-coach, Wilkens led the SuperSonics to a 47-35 record, finishing above .500 for the first time in team history.
“I know what young players go through. I understand their background. I didn’t come from anything either, so I was there,” Wilkens once told Newsday.
When Wilkens retired after 32 seasons as an NBA coach, he held the all-time record for wins, losses and games coached. Throughout his career, his rosters rarely featured true superstars; in fact, the only Hall of Famer he ever coached in his prime was himself.
After retirement, Wilkens settled in Medina, Washington, where he ran the NBA Coaches Association for 17 years. He helped raise millions for community initiatives in Seattle through the Lenny Wilkens Foundation.
