Lenny Wilkens

Lenny Wilkens

Wilkens in 2013
Personal information
Born	(1937-10-28) October 28, 1937 (age 87) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school	Boys (Brooklyn, New York)
College	Providence (1957–1960)
NBA draft	1960: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the St. Louis Hawks
Playing career	1960–1975
Position	Point guard
Number	32, 15, 14, 19, 17
Coaching career	1969–2005
Career history
As player:
1960–1968	St. Louis Hawks
1968–1972	Seattle SuperSonics
1972–1974	Cleveland Cavaliers
1974–1975	Portland Trail Blazers
As coach:
1969–1972	Seattle SuperSonics
1974–1976	Portland Trail Blazers
1977–1985	Seattle SuperSonics
1986–1993	Cleveland Cavaliers
1993–2000	Atlanta Hawks
2000–2003	Toronto Raptors
2004–2005	New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
As player: 9× NBA All-Star (1963–1965, 1967–1971, 1973) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1971) NBA assists leader (1970) NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th) No. 19 retired by Seattle SuperSonics Consensus second-team All-American (1960) As coach: NBA champion (1979) NBA Coach of the Year (1994) 4× NBA All-Star Game head coach (1979, 1980, 1989, 1994) Top 10 Coaches in NBA History Top 15 Coaches in NBA History Cleveland Cavaliers Wall of Honor Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award (2011)
Career playing statistics
Points	17,772 (16.5 ppg)
Rebounds	5,030 (4.7 rpg)
Assists	7,211 (6.7 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Career coaching record
NBA	1332–1155 (.536)
Record at Basketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame  (playing)
Basketball Hall of Fame  (coaching)
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals Head coach for  United States men's national basketball team Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Team Assistant coach for  United States men's national basketball team Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona Team

Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States Olympic "Dream Team" for which he was an assistant coach. In 1996, Wilkens was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. ^{[1] [2]} In addition, in 2022 he was also named to the list of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, being the only person to be in both NBA 75th season celebration list as player and coach. ^[3] He is also a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Wilkens made a combined 13-time NBA All-Star Game appearances as a player (nine times) and as a head coach (four times), was the 1993 NBA Coach of the Year, won the 1979 NBA championship as the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, and an Olympic gold medal as the head coach of the 1996 U.S. men's basketball team.

During the 1994–95 season, Wilkens set the record for most regular season coaching wins in NBA history, a record he held when he retired with 1,332 victories. As of February 2022 ^[update] , he is in third place on the list, behind Don Nelson and Gregg Popovich. ^[4] Wilkens won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for the 2010–11 NBA season. ^[5] Wilkens is also the most prolific coach in NBA history, at 2,487 regular-season games, 89 more games than Nelson, and over 400 more than any other coach, and has more losses than any other coach in NBA history, at 1,155.

Early life

Leonard Randolph Wilkens was born on October 28, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. Wilkens grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. ^[6] His father was African American and his mother was Irish American. ^[7] Wilkens was raised in the Catholic faith. ^[7]

At Boys High School, Wilkens was a basketball teammate of longtime Major League Baseball star Tommy Davis, and played for coach Mickey Fisher.

College career

Wilkens was a two-time All-America (1959 and 1960) at Providence College. He led the team to their first NIT appearance in 1959, and to the NIT finals in 1960. When he graduated, Wilkens was, with 1,193 points, the second-ranked scorer in Friar history (he has since dropped to 20th as of 2005). In 1996, Wilkens' No. 14 jersey was retired by the college, the first alumnus to receive such an honor. In honor of his collegiate accomplishments, Wilkens was one of the inaugural inductees into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Professional career

Wilkens with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1968

St. Louis Hawks (1960–1968)

Wilkens was drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1960 NBA draft. He began his career with eight seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, who lost the finals to the Boston Celtics in his rookie season. The Hawks made the playoffs consistently with Wilkens but never again reached the finals. Wilkens placed second to Wilt Chamberlain in the 1967–1968 MVP balloting, his last with the Hawks.

Seattle SuperSonics (1968–1972)

Wilkens was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Walt Hazzard and spent four seasons there. He averaged 22.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game in his first season for the SuperSonics, and was an All-Star in three of his seasons for them. He was named head coach in his second season with the team. Although the SuperSonics did not reach the playoffs while Wilkens simultaneously coached and started at point guard, their record improved each season and they won 47 games during the 1971–72 NBA season. Wilkens was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers before the start of the next season in a highly unpopular trade, and the SuperSonics fell to 26–56 without his leadership on the court. ^[8]

Cleveland Cavaliers (1972–1974)

Wilkens played two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Portland Trail Blazers (1974–1975)

Wilkens played one season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Legacy

Wilkens scored 17,772 points during the regular season, was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and was named the 1971 NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1971. With Seattle, he led the league in assists in the 1969–70 season, and at the time of his retirement was the NBA's second all-time leader in that category, behind only Oscar Robertson. In 2021, to commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time, and named Wilkens as the 75th greatest player in NBA history. ^[9]

Coaching career

Seattle SuperSonics (1969–1972)

Wilkens was a player-coach for the Seattle SuperSonics from 1969 to 1972.

Portland Trail Blazers (1974–1976)

In his one season as a player with the Portland Trail Blazers, he was a player-coach. He retired from playing in 1975 and was the full-time coach of the Trail Blazers for one more season.

Seattle SuperSonics (1977–1985)

After a season off from coaching, he again became coach of the SuperSonics when he replaced Bob Hopkins who was fired 22 games into the 1977–78 season after a dismal 5–17 start. ^[10] The SuperSonics won 11 of their first 12 games under Wilkens. They made the playoffs in back-to-back years, losing in seven games to the Washington Bullets in the 1978 NBA Finals before returning to the 1979 NBA Finals and defeating the Washington Bullets in five games for their only NBA title. ^[11]

He coached in Seattle for eight seasons (1977–1985), winning his (and Seattle's) only NBA championship in 1979.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1986–1993)

Wilkens would go on to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1986 to 1993. He resigned as coach following the 1992–93 season, after the Cavs were swept by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the playoffs. ^[12]

Atlanta Hawks (1993–2000)

On June 2, 1993, Wilkens was hired as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. ^[13] In 1997, his contract was extended to two years and $10.4 million dollars. The team made the playoffs in Wilkens' first six seasons. However, on 24 April 2000, he resigned as head coach following a 28-54 record. ^[14]

Toronto Raptors (2000–2003)

In June 2000, Wilkens signed a four-year, $20 million dollar contract to become head coach of the Toronto Raptors, replacing Butch Carter. ^[15] In his first season at the helm, he led the Raptors franchise to their first playoff series win, defeating the New York Knicks in the first round. Wilkens and the team parted ways after a disappointing and injury riddled 2002-03 season where they finished with a 24-58 record. ^[16]

New York Knicks (2004–2005)

The Hall of Famer was named head coach of the New York Knicks on January 15, 2004 after the team started 15-24 under Don Chaney. ^[17] After the Knicks' slow start to the 2004–05 season, Wilkens resigned from the team on January 22, 2005. ^[18]

Executive career

Wilkens was the General Manager of the Seattle SuperSonics from April 24, 1985 until May 27, 1986. During his stint as GM, he drafted future All-Star Xavier McDaniel and hired Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff.

On November 29, 2006, Wilkens was hired as vice chairman of the SuperSonics' ownership group, ^[19] and was later named the Sonics' President of Basketball Operations on April 27, 2007. ^[20] On July 6, 2007, Wilkens resigned from the Sonics organization.

Broadcasting career

Wilkens later worked at Northwest FSN Studio as a college basketball analyst and occasionally appears on College Hoops Northwest at game nights.

Personal life

Since 1962, Wilkens has been married to Marilyn Reed; they have three children, Leesha, Randy and Jamee. The Wilkens have seven grandchildren, six girls and one boy.

Wilkens is the founder of the Lenny Wilkens Foundation for Children ^[21] and lives in Medina, Washington. ^[22] He is a practicing Catholic.

Awards and honors

NBA

• 1979 NBA champion (as head coach of Seattle)
• 13-time NBA All-Star
  • nine times as a player
  • four times as a head coach
• 1971 NBA All-Star Game MVP
• 1994 NBA Coach of the Year
• 2011 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award
• No. 19 retired by Seattle SuperSonics (carried over to the Oklahoma City Thunder)
• Top 10 Coaches in NBA History (NBA 50th Anniversary)
• Top 15 Coaches in NBA History (NBA 75th Anniversary)

USA Basketball

• Two-time Olympic gold medal winner:
  • 1992 as an assistant coach with the "Dream Team"
  • 1996 as head coach of the U.S. men's team

Halls of Fame

• Three-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
  • class of 1989 as a player
  • class of 1998 as a coach
  • class of 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team"
• Cleveland Cavaliers Wall of Honor (class of 2022) ^[23]
• U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (class of 2009 – as a member of the "Dream Team")
• FIBA Hall of Fame (class of 2017 – as a member of the "Dream Team")
• College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2006)
• Providence College Hall of Fame.

State/Local

• City of Seattle renamed Thomas Street to Lenny Wilkens Way. ^[24]

Organizational

• 1999 Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement ^[25]

Quotes

• "I learned my basketball on the playgrounds of Brooklyn. Today, being a playground player is an insult. It means all you want to do is go one-on-one, it means your fundamentals stink and you don't understand the game. But the playgrounds I knew were tremendous training grounds."
• "Show people how to have success and then you can push their expectations up." ^[26]

Head coaching record

Legend

Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
Seattle	1969–70	82	36	46	.439	5th in Western	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Seattle	1970–71	82	38	44	.463	4th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Seattle	1971–72	82	47	35	.573	3rd in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Portland	1974–75	82	38	44	.463	3rd in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Portland	1975–76	82	37	45	.451	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Seattle	1977–78	60	42	18	.700	3rd in Pacific	22	13	9	.591	Lost in NBA Finals
Seattle	1978–79	82	52	30	.634	1st in Pacific	17	12	5	.706	Won NBA Championship
Seattle	1979–80	82	56	26	.683	2nd in Pacific	15	7	8	.467	Lost in Conf. Finals
Seattle	1980–81	82	34	48	.415	6th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Seattle	1981–82	82	52	30	.634	2nd in Pacific	8	3	5	.375	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Seattle	1982–83	82	48	34	.585	3rd in Pacific	2	0	2	.000	Lost in First Round
Seattle	1983–84	82	42	40	.512	3rd in Pacific	5	2	3	.400	Lost in First Round
Seattle	1984–85	82	31	51	.378	5th in Pacific	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	1986–87	82	31	51	.378	4th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	1987–88	82	42	40	.512	4th in Central	5	2	3	.400	Lost in First Round
Cleveland	1988–89	82	57	25	.695	2nd in Central	5	2	3	.400	Lost in First Round
Cleveland	1989–90	82	42	40	.512	4th in Central	5	2	3	.400	Lost in First Round
Cleveland	1990–91	82	33	49	.402	6th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Cleveland	1991–92	82	57	25	.695	2nd in Central	17	9	8	.529	Lost in Conf. Finals
Cleveland	1992–93	82	54	28	.659	2nd in Central	9	3	6	.333	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta	1993–94	82	57	25	.695	1st in Central	11	5	6	.455	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta	1994–95	82	42	40	.512	5th in Central	3	0	3	.000	Lost in First Round
Atlanta	1995–96	82	46	36	.561	4th in Central	10	4	6	.400	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta	1996–97	82	56	26	.683	2nd in Central	10	4	6	.400	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta	1997–98	82	50	32	.610	4th in Central	4	1	3	.250	Lost in First Round
Atlanta	1998–99	50	31	19	.620	2nd in Central	9	3	6	.333	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Atlanta	1999–2000	82	28	54	.341	7th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Toronto	2000–01	82	47	35	.573	2nd in Central	12	6	6	.500	Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Toronto	2001–02	82	42	40	.512	3rd in Central	5	2	3	.400	Lost in First Round
Toronto	2002–03	82	24	58	.293	7th in Central	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
New York	2003–04	42	23	19	.548	3rd in Atlantic	4	0	4	.000	Lost in First Round
New York	2004–05	39	17	22	.436	(resigned)	—	—	—	—	—
Career		2,487	1,332	1,155	.536		178	80	98	.449

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high
*	Led the league

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1960–61	St. Louis	74	—	25.3	.425	—	.713	4.5	2.8	—	—	11.7
1961–62	St. Louis	20	—	43.5	.385	—	.764	6.6	5.8	—	—	18.2
1962–63	St. Louis	75	—	34.3	.399	—	.696	5.4	5.1	—	—	11.8
1963–64	St. Louis	78	—	32.4	.413	—	.740	4.3	4.6	—	—	12.0
1964–65	St. Louis	78	—	36.6	.414	—	.746	4.7	5.5	—	—	16.5
1965–66	St. Louis	69	—	39.0	.431	—	.793	4.7	6.2	—	—	18.0
1966–67	St. Louis	78	—	38.1	.432	—	.787	5.3	5.7	—	—	17.4
1967–68	St. Louis	82	—	38.6	.438	—	.768	5.3	8.3	—	—	20.0
1968–69	Seattle	82	—	42.2	.440	—	.770	6.2	8.2	—	—	22.4
1969–70	Seattle	75	—	37.4	.420	—	.788	5.0	9.1*	—	—	17.8
1970–71	Seattle	71	—	37.2	.419	—	.803	4.5	9.2	—	—	19.8
1971–72	Seattle	80	—	37.4	.466	—	.774	4.2	9.6	—	—	18.0
1972–73	Cleveland	75	—	39.6	.449	—	.828	4.6	8.4	—	—	20.5
1973–74	Cleveland	74	—	33.6	.465	—	.801	3.7	7.1	1.3	0.2	16.4
1974–75	Portland	65	—	17.9	.439	—	.768	1.8	3.6	1.2	0.1	6.5
Career		1,077	—	35.3	.432	—	.774	4.7	6.7	1.3	0.2	16.5
All-Star		9	3	20.2	.400	—	.781	2.4	2.9	—	—	9.4

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1961	St. Louis	12	—	36.4	.380	—	.759	6.0	3.5	—	—	14.2
1963	St. Louis	11	—	36.4	.370	—	.755	6.3	6.3	—	—	13.7
1964	St. Louis	12	—	34.4	.448	—	.759	5.0	5.3	—	—	14.3
1965	St. Louis	4	—	36.8	.351	—	.828	3.0	3.8	—	—	16.0
1966	St. Louis	10	—	39.1	.399	—	.687	5.4	7.0	—	—	17.1
1967	St. Louis	9	—	42.0	.400	—	.856	7.6	7.2	—	—	21.4
1968	St. Louis	6	—	39.5	.440	—	.750	6.3	7.8	—	—	16.1
Career		64	—	37.5	.399	—	.769	5.8	5.8	—	—	16.1

See also

• United States portal
• Sports portal

• List of NBA career assists leaders
• List of NBA career personal fouls leaders
• List of NBA career free throw scoring leaders
• List of NBA career playoff triple-double leaders
• List of NBA single-game assists leaders

References

1. "NBA at 50: Top 50 Players". NBA.com. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
2. "NBA 75". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
3. "NBA unveils 15 best coaches in league history to celebrate 75th anniversary". Sportsnet.ca. February 8, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
4. "Spurs coach Gregg Popovich passes Wilkens for No. 2 on all-time coaching wins list". NBA.com. February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
5. Wilkens presented Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award | NBA.com Archived July 14, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
6. Beck, Howard. "PRO BASKETBALL; Wilkens Denies He Was Asked to Go", The New York Times , September 28, 2005. Accessed November 20, 2007. "A native of Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Wilkens had added motivation to succeed in New York, which made leaving so quickly that much tougher."
7. Smith, Gary (December 5, 1994). "He Has Overcome". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
8. Gastineau, Mark; Thiel, Art; Rudman, Steve (2009). The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists. United States: Running Press. pp. 261–262. ISBN   9780762435227.
9. "NBA 75: At No. 75, Lenny Wilkens was the embodiment of the player as coach on the floor". The Athletic .
10. Goldaper, Sam (December 1, 1977). "Wilkens Named Sonics' Coach Again". The New York Times.
11. Frandsen, Mike (February 1, 2014). "Seattle's Last Title: SuperSonics' 1979 NBA Finals Win over Washington Bullets". Bleacher Report.
12. "Wilkens resigns as Cavs coach". UPI Archives. May 24, 1993.
13. "Wilkens named coach of Hawks". Tampa Bay Times. June 2, 1993.
14. "Wilkens steps down after 28-54 season". ESPN. April 25, 2000.
15. "Wilkens named Toronto's coach". ESPN. June 21, 2000.
16. "Raptors part ways with Wilkens". CBC. April 17, 2003.
17. "Chaney, Malone, Kruger fired; Wilkens hired". ESPN. January 14, 2004.
18. Beck, Howard (January 23, 2005). "Knicks' Downward Spiral Takes Down Wilkens". The New York Times.
19. Evans, Jayda (December 1, 2006). "Wilkens a Sonic again – as vice chairman". The Seattle Times.
20. "SONICS: Lenny Wilkens Confirmed as President of Basketball Operations". NBA.com . Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved May 19, 2007.
21. "Lenny Wilkens Foundation". Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
22. Sports | Where are they now? Championship Sonics remain near and far between Seattle Times. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
23. Boggs, Justin (March 9, 2022). "Cavs add former players, owner, coach to Wall of Honor". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
24. "Lenny Wilkens: City renames street after former Seattle SuperSonics coach, player". KOMO News. October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
25. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
26. "Lenny Wilkens Interview (page: 6 / 7)". Academy of Achievement. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.

External links

• Lenny Wilkens (as a player) at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Lenny Wilkens (as a coach) at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Basketball-Reference.com: Lenny Wilkens (as a player)
• Basketball-Reference.com: Lenny Wilkens (as a coach) Archived January 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
• Stories of Atlanta – Odd Man Out ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}