Legendary NBA player and coach Lenny Wilkens, a two-time Hall of Famer, died on Sunday at the age of 88. Wilkens, who starred at Providence College and led the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1979 NBA championship, was remembered for his contributions on and off the court. His family announced the passing but did not disclose a cause of death.
Lenny Wilkens, one of the most respected figures in basketball history, passed away on Sunday. The nine-time All-Star guard played from 1960 to 1975, averaging 16.5 points and 6.7 assists over 1,077 regular-season games. Selected sixth overall in the 1960 NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks, Wilkens spent eight seasons with the franchise, earning five All-Star selections and finishing second in MVP voting during the 1967-68 season.
Traded to the Seattle SuperSonics before the 1968-69 season, Wilkens averaged a career-high 22.4 points in his first year with the team and became a popular figure there. He served as player-coach for three seasons, including a 47-35 record in 1971-72. After being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1972, he made his final All-Star appearance that year and played one more season before joining the Portland Trail Blazers in 1974-75, where he also acted as player-coach.
Wilkens returned to coaching full-time with Portland the following season and later guided the SuperSonics to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances, winning the title in 1979 against the Washington Bullets. Over 32 seasons as a head coach with teams including the Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks, he compiled a 1,332-1,155 record, holding the NBA victories record until his retirement after the 2004-05 season. He now ranks third all-time behind Gregg Popovich (1,390) and Don Nelson (1,335).
Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989 and as a coach in 1998, Wilkens joins Tom Heinsohn, Bill Russell, Bill Sharman, and John Wooden as dual honorees. At Providence College, where he played in the late 1950s, his No. 14 jersey was retired in 1996, and he was named to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Providence College President Rev. Kenneth Sicard said, "Providence College mourns the passing of one of its most distinguished alumni, Lenny Wilkens '60 and '80Hon., whose legacy as a basketball legend and humanitarian has left an indelible mark on our community and the world." Men's basketball coach Kim English added, "He lived an incredible life as an athlete, a Friar and an NBA legend."
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated, "Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA – as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game's most respected ambassadors." In June, a statue of Wilkens was unveiled outside Climate Pledge Arena, the former home of the SuperSonics.