Cavs and Sonics Hall of Fame Icon Lenny Wilkens Dies at 88
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Lenny Wilkens, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer revered in Cleveland and Seattle, died Sunday at the age of 88, his family announced. According to a statement, the former player and coach passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones.
Honored in June with the first statue outside Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena—located on the street already named Lenny Wilkens Way—Wilkens enjoyed a basketball career that stretched more than five decades. Born on Oct. 28, 1937, in Brooklyn, he starred at Providence College before being selected in the first round of the 1960 NBA Draft.
Wilkens earned nine NBA All-Star selections during a 15-season playing career distinguished by steady playmaking and court leadership. While still an active player, he moved into coaching, an uncommon step that foreshadowed a record-setting tenure on the sidelines. His 1,332 regular-season coaching victories once stood as the most in league history.
He led the Seattle SuperSonics to their lone championship in 1979 and later guided the Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors. In Cleveland, he is remembered for directing a roster that featured Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, and Larry Nance.
Wilkens remains one of only three people enshrined in the Hall of Fame three times: as a player in 1989, as a coach in 1998, and as an assistant with the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” in 2010.
Off the court, he founded the Lenny Wilkens Foundation, raising funds for Seattle’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic and supporting youth camps aimed at expanding basketball access for local children.
Funeral arrangements were not immediately disclosed.
Source: Hoops Wire
