Lenny Wilkens, a basketball legend who amassed a decorated playing career ahead of his shift into coaching, has died, according to reports. Known as a savvy playmaker and one of many player-coach hybrids, Lenny Wilkens’ contributions to the sport were recognized by the NBA in both fields.
ESPN reports that Lenny Wilkens, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., didn’t play basketball until his senior year of high school. While Wilkens was not described as a superhuman physical specimen, his knowledge and feel for the game as a playmaker catapulted him in the eyes of sports media and observers to the tune of nine NBA All-Star player selections.
Wilkens attended college at Providence College, leading the school to the NIT finals in 1960. He was drafted sixth overall in the 1960 NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks, spending eight seasons there before heading to the Seattle Supersonics, leading the league in assists during the 1969-70 campaign.
From 1969 to 1972, Wilkens was a player-coach for the Supersonics, and did the same for the Portland Trailblazers before becoming a full-time head coach for one season. Wikens returned to Seattle to coach his former team for eight seasons, winning the NBA championship in 1978.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shared a statment in honor of Wilkens.
“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,” said Silver in the statement. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.”
Wilkens was first inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989, 1998 as a coach, and 2010 as a member of the “Dream Team.”
Lenny Wilkens passed away at his home in Medina, Wash. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Reed, their three children, Leesha, Randy, and Jamee, and a host of grandchildren.
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Photo: Getty
