of NBA are in mourning over the death of Lenny Wilkens, be To the legends of American basketball, 88 years. Among the greatest achievements of his career, he hall of fame Both as a player and as a coach. Moreover, he gave the unique title. seattle supersonicshe led into the ring 1979.
Wilkens was born in brooklyn And he had a long career as a player, going through the following franchises: st louis hawks, cleveland cavaliers and portland trail blazers. However, Lenny developed an inseparable bond with Seattle after arriving there. 1968 as a basis for supersonics. He is 31 years old and has played for eight seasons. Appeared in All-Star Game 5 timesbecoming the first great figure in the fledgling franchise. 1 year later He took on the dual roles of player and coach.was selected to the All-Star Game again in three of his four seasons as a player in Seattle. His playing career culminated after two seasons in Cleveland and a final year in Portland, where he averaged a batting average. 16.5 points, 6.7 assistsHe finished second in the Most Valuable Player voting for the 1967-68 season. Wilt Chamberlain.
consecration of Wilkens as a member of hall of fame arrived at 1989for a career that included nine All-Star appearances and selection to the All-Star team. NBA 75th Anniversary. Nine years later, in 1998, he was awarded the medal again, this time as a coach. “That’s something I never dreamed of. How could I dream of being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach? I always encourage young people to accept challenges and dream big, and this is a dream come true for me.”said the engineer in a statement released by the media. seattle times.
Highlights of his coaching career include: supersonicswhere he reached two NBA finals and won the only championship in franchise history. After a 5-17 start under Bob Hopkins, his last at the helm in the 1977-78 season. Wilkens led the team to a 42-18 record. They made it through the remainder of the regular season and the finals, losing to Washington in seven games. The following year, Seattle got its revenge, and under his direction, won the title. During his eight seasons at the helm of the Sonics, the team advanced to the playoffs six times.
footprints Wilkens In Seattle, it goes beyond sports. His philanthropic efforts, particularly through the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in the Rainier Valley, spanned decades. “I said that was my case, because they provided medical care to my family regardless of their ability to pay,” Wilkens said. seattle times And he added: “I’ve always said that a sick child goes to school with his head in his desk and doesn’t learn anything. But if we give him the care he needs, we can show him that he is important to us, and he will want to try harder.”. His foundation, which has been around since the 1970s, has organized golf tournaments and charity auctions over the years, the last one in 2019.
After staying in Seattle, Wilkens directed to cleveland Since 1986, they have qualified for the playoffs five times in seven seasons, but faced that supremacy. bad boys of detroit pistons and the rise of michael jordan and chicago bulls. after that, atlanta hawksbecame Coach with the most wins in NBA history on January 6, 1995surpassed Red Auerbach with 939th win. Over 32 seasons as a head coach, he totaled 1,332 regular season wins, a .536 winning percentage and 20 playoff appearances. His career lasted three years toronto raptors And in conclusion new york knicksThere he was released from his position midway through the 2004-05 season.
Although he retired from activities in 2005, Lenny Wilkens He remains in 3rd place on the list of all-time manager wins. greg popovich and don nelson. doc rivers He is the only active coach to be less than 200 wins away from his record of 2,487 regular-season games, a number that may still be out of reach.
Wilkens Just before he celebrated his birthday 63rd anniversary of marriage with marilynhe raised a family of three children and seven grandchildren. His legacy as an inspiration to the community and Seattle basketball was already established long before the statue was erected. “I’m very happy to be a part of that history. This is basketball country. We shouldn’t have lost a team, so I hope this helps other teams come back in some way.”. Everywhere you go, people talk about the Sonics and when they won. I don’t think that team gets the recognition it deserves,” concluded the now-resting legend.
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