Former NBA coach and player Lenny Wilkens passes away at age 88

Lenny Wilkens with WNBA star Ruthie Bolton ( Samuel Morse, Wikimedia Commons)

According to the Associated Press on Sunday, former National Basketball Association head coach Lenny Wilkens of Brooklyn, New York passed away at the age of 88. He has the distinction of being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (1989), and as a coach (1998).

As a player, Wilkens played 15 seasons in the NBA as a point guard. He was with the St. Louis Hawks from 1960 to 1968, the Seattle SuperSonics from 1968 to 1972, the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1972 to 1974, and the Portland Trail Blazers from 1974 to 1975.

Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star. He was honoured with the Hawks in 1962-63, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1966-67, and 1967-68. Wilkens was also an NBA All-Star with the SuperSonics in 1968-69, 1969-70, and 1970-71, and with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1972-73. With the Hawks, Wilkens was second in voting behind Wilt Chamberlain for NBA MVP.

In 1077 games, Wilkens averaged 16.5 points per game, 6.7 assists per game, and 4.7 rebounds per game. He had a field goal percentage of .432 and a free throw percentage of .774. In 1969-70, Wilkens led the NBA with 9.1 assists per game.

Wilkens also made his mark in the NBA as a coach. He had 1332 career victories, which is third all-time in coaching wins. Wilkens was behind San Antonio Spurs legend Gregg Popovich (1412), and Don Nelson (1335). Of Wilkins’s 1332 wins, 478 came with the Super Sonics (1969 to 1972 as a player coach and 1977 to 1985), 75 with the Trail Blazers from 1974 to 1976, 316 with the Cavaliers from 1986 to 1993, 310 with the Atlanta Hawks from 1993 to 2000, 113 with the Toronto Raptors from 2000 to 2003, and 40 with the New York Knicks from 2003 to 2005. With the SuperSonics in 1979. Wilkens won the NBA Finals. Seattle beat Washington in five games.

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