NBA legend dead at 88 as tribute pours in

Lenny Wilkens, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee both as a player and a coach, died Sunday at the age of 88. The NBA has confirmed his passing in a statement.

Wilkens played 15 years in the NBA and was named an All-Star nine times, twice leading the league in assists. After his playing career, he became an NBA coach for 32 years.

Lenny coached the Seattle Supersonics from 1969 to 1986, leading the team to the NBA Championship in the 1978-1979 season. During his 15-year NBA playing career, Wilkens was named an All-Star nine times and twice led the league in assists.

NBA legend Lenny Wilkens dead at 88

Following his time as a player, Wilkens was an NBA coach for 32 years. That includes 11 years with the Seattle SuperSonics from 1969 to 1985. He led the Sonics to an NBA Championship during the 1978-39 season.

Wilkens is one of only five individuals to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.

“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 in a 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.”

Now, tributes to Wilkens are pouring in.

“An unbelievable man,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr, who played for Wilkens in Cleveland, said. “Just an incredible man.”

“I think he’s the only guy I know who’s a Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach,” Kerr added. “Two different ways, maybe there’s one or two others. I didn’t watch him play, I wasn’t old enough to see him play but reading about his game and how talented he was and that he ends up breaking the all-time wins record as a coach. What a career.”

Tributes for Lenny

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said through tears, “Without him, I’m not here.”

The Atlanta Hawks also released a statement. Lenny Wilkens played for the St Louis Hawks for three seasons.

“Beyond his excellence as a player and a coach, he was an innovator, a trailblazer, a winner and a leader not just in Atlanta but every community in which he played and coached,” the Hawks said. “In addition to his numerous achievements, Lenny always carried himself with a calm dignity and undeniable class and grace.”

Rest in peace, Lenny Wilkens. Please share your fondest memory of him in the comment section on Facebook.

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