NBA icon Lenny Wilkens dead at 88
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Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member Lenny Wilkens, both player and coach, died Sunday at the age of 88.
Wilkens, who played 15 years in the NBA, including four seasons as a player-coach, was one of five Hall of Famers in both roles. The others were 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,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “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.”
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Lenny Wilkens of the Portland Trail Blazers watches against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland, circa 1975. Wilkens played for the Trail Blazers between 1974-75. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
During his playing career, Wilkens made nine NBA All-Star teams and twice led the league in assists. Standing just over 6 feet tall, he entered the league after an outstanding career at Providence College; here he helped lead the Friars to their first NIT appearance in 1959 and to the NIT finals in 1960.
A two-time All-American at Providence, Wilkens became the first player in school history to have his jersey retired in 1996.
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Wilkens was in then-St. Louis Hawks in the first round of the 1960 NBA Draft. He only played 20 games in his second season after serving in the Army, but became a cornerstone for the Hawks when he returned full-time.
St. Louis advanced to the playoffs in six consecutive seasons under Wilkens, a Brooklyn native who didn’t play basketball until his senior year of high school. During that time, he was named to five All-Star teams and averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 555 games over eight seasons with the Hawks.
Lenny Wilkens, head coach of the 1979 Seattle Supersonics basketball team, greets the crowd before their game during a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of the team’s championship on June 1, 2019 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington. (Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
The Hawks traded Wilkens to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1968 and he flourished there. The player, who averaged 22.4 points, 8.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds in his first season, became the league leader in assists (9.1) the following year.
Before the 1969-70 season, SuperSonics general manager Dick Vertlieb appointed Wilkens as player-coach. He helped set the tone both on and off the field and led Seattle to its first winning season in his third year in the dual role.
The accomplished left-hander continued to rack up assists in Seattle, then spent two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and finished his career with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974-75.
Wilkens ranks 17th on the NBA’s all-time assists list with 7,211 assists in 1,077 games.
NBA legend Lenny Wilkens attends the Rain City Showcase game between the Portland Trail Blazers and LA Clippers at Climate Pledge Arena on October 11, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
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He also served as a player-coach in Portland before transitioning to full-time coaching. Wilkens then returned to Seattle for the 1977–78 season and led the SuperSonics to the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Washington Bullets to capture the franchise’s first and only championship.
Wilkens coached the Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, compiling a 1,332-1,155 (.536) record in 2,487 regular season games. The playoff record was 80-98.
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