Lenny Wilkens
 Wilkens in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | October 28, 1937 New York City, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 9, 2025 (aged 88) Medina, Washington, 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 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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:
As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Points | 17,772 (16.5 ppg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 5,030 (4.7 rpg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assists | 7,211 (6.7 apg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball Hall of Fame as coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leonard Randolph Wilkens (October 28, 1937 – November 9, 2025) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was honored three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Early life
[change | change source]Leonard Randolph Wilkens was born on October 28, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. Wilkens grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.[1] His father was African-American and his mother was Irish American.[2]
Wilkens was a two-time All-America (1959 and 1960) at Providence College.[3]
Career
[change | change source]Wilkens played for the St. Louis Hawks, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Portland Trail Blazers from 1960 to 1975. He coached the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks from 1969 to 2005.
Wilkens coached the United States men's national basketball team during the Summer Olympics, winning gold medals in 1992 and 1996.
In 1996, Wilkens was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[4][5] 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 lists, as a player and as a coach.[6]
Wilkens was honored into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Death
[change | change source]Wilkens died at his home in Medina, Washington on November 9, 2025, at the age of 88.[7]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 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."
- ↑ Smith, Gary (December 5, 1994). "He Has Overcome". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ↑ Vergun, David (December 21, 2021). "Sports Heroes Who Served: One of Basketball's Greatest Also Served in the Army". defense.gov. U.S. Department of Defense.
- ↑ "NBA at 50: Top 50 Players". NBA.com. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ↑ "NBA 75". NBA.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ↑ "NBA unveils 15 best coaches in league history to celebrate 75th anniversary". Sportsnet.ca. 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ↑ Booth, Tim (November 9, 2025). "Lenny Wilkens, godfather of Seattle basketball, dies at 88". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
Other websites
[change | change source]- Lenny Wilkens on IMDb
- Basketball-Reference.com: Lenny Wilkens (as a player)
- Basketball-Reference.com: Lenny Wilkens (as a coach) Archived January 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
This short article about a person from the United States can be made longer. You can help Wikipedia by adding to it.