Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family announced Sunday. He was 88.
According to the family’s statement, Wilkens passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his generation before transitioning to a legendary coaching career defined by intelligence, composure, and leadership. He first made his mark as a player-coach before becoming one of the winningest coaches in NBA history.
Over the course of his career, Wilkens coached a record 2,487 games and became the first person in NBA league history to record 1,000 victories as a head coach. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame three times — as a player, as a coach, and as an assistant coach for the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team.” He later guided Team USA to a gold medal as head coach at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
“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,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday. “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.”
A nine-time All-Star during his playing days, Wilkens’ influence extended far beyond the court. He led the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1979 NBA championship, the franchise’s only title, cementing his legacy as a beloved figure in Seattle sports history.
Leonard Wilkens was born on Oct. 28, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. He played on Brooklyn's playgrounds and at a city powerhouse, then Boys High School. Wilkens then coached the New York Knicks from 2004-2005.