The membership of the National Basketball Coaches Association joins the NBA family in mourning the passing of legendary Head Coach and three-time Hall of Famer, Lenny Wilkens.
Coach Wilkens spent an amazing 32 years as a Head Coach in the NBA with the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks. Over his coaching career, Lenny won 1,332 games (3rd most in NBA history), coached in 2,487 games (most in NBA history), won an NBA Championship (1979 – Seattle SuperSonics), and received the NBCA Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award (2011). Coach Wilkens also had a remarkable playing career and is one of only five people inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Coach Wilkens has the unique distinction of being named one of the NBA’s top 75 greatest players and one of the NBA’s top 15 greatest coaches of all time.
However, what truly set Lenny apart, were his efforts off-the-court to improve benefits for coaches and those in the Seattle community. Coach Wilkens served as NBCA President from 1987–2005 and guided the Coaches Association during some of the years of the greatest growth in professional basketball. He helped gain significant benefits for NBA Head and Assistant Coaches, including increased retirement funds, salary levels, and disability insurance. Even more impressive than his basketball accolades, was his dedication to healthcare equality for those less fortunate in the Seattle area, through his Lenny Wilkens Foundation and the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle’s Rainier Valley.
NBCA President and Indiana Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle issued the following statement:
“Beyond Lenny’s countless accomplishments in the game and community, his 18 years as NBCA President were of special significance as he advocated for increased pension benefits and for the NBA coaching profession as a whole. A man of grace, dignity and humility, his contributions will live on in perpetuity.”
Wilkens will be remembered not only as a coach and player, but also as a mentor to so many in the basketball community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Wilkens family during this difficult time.