Wilkens, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1988, joined Don Nelson as the only individuals to appear in 2,500 games

WIkens has the unique distinction of being named one of the league's 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time as a Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach

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NBA BEAT - LENNY WILKENS - Gone But Not Forgotten

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It was sad to hear of the passing of former NBA players and then coach Lenny Wilkens. I've watched Wilkens since when he played for Providence University and then the St Louis Hawks. He went on to be a player/coach. As a coach he won an NBA title with the Seattle Supersonics in 1979 - Named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996 - THIS DAY IN THE NBA - NBA's ALL TIME BEST PLAYERS 1st and 2nd TEAMS

Friday November 28, 2025

BIGGER THAN LIFE

It was sad to hear of the passing of former NBA player and then coach Lenny Wilkens. I've watched Wilkens since when he played for Providence University and then the St. Louis Hawks. With the Hawks he was one of the first black players to play for the team that had a racist owner. They are famous for trading away Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics in return for two to be star white players Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagen.

Wilkens went of to be an NBA player/coach and was good at it. He was traded from the St. Louis Hawks to the Seattle Supersonics for Walt Hazzard. There he coached one of the most exciting teams in league history. He last played in 1975. As their coach they won the NBA title in 1979 over the Washington Bullets.

They were a dream to watch, they played with precision. WIkens has the unique distinction of being named one of the league's 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time as a Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach.

Wilkens was mild mannered. When I approached him to do a story of his coaching success he was reluctant. He said I almost lost as many as I've won. Apparently he trusted me and he did the interview.

Wilkens coached four other franchises to the playoffs. In 1995, he set a record he thought would last forever when he passed Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach as the league's all-time leader in coaching wins.

He celebrated the achievement by smoking a cigar. That was a signature act that Auerbach did when his team won a game.

Wilkens career win total is 1,332 wins for third best in league history trailing Don Nelson and Greg Popovich.

As a player Wilkins' career bests include being a 9× NBA All-Star (1963-1965, 1967-1971, 1973) - NBA All-Star Game MVP (1971) and the NBA assists leader (1970). He registered 17,772 career points for a (16.5 ppg). He grabbed 5,030 rebounds for a (4.7 rpg) and had 7,211 assists for a (6.7 apg).

One thing I learned about Wilkens is he didn't play high school basketball in Brooklyn, New York until his senior year. It was that determination that made him the success that he was.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said of Wilkens, more impressive than Lenny's basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service - especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor. He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but also an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.

NBA THIS DAY

November 28, 1969 The New York Knicks scored six points in the final 16 seconds to defeat the Cincinnati Royals 106-105 to run their winning streak to a then-NBA record of 18 straight games. The Lakers set the current NBA mark of 33 straight wins during the 1971-72 season.

November 28, 1986 The Celtics downed San Antonio 111-96 at Boston Garden, setting an NBA record with their 38th consecutive home victory.

November 28, 1992 Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Lenny Wilkens appeared in his 2,500th NBA game (in 29 seasons as a player and coach, in both regular season and playoff games) in the Cavs’ 95-93 road loss at Orlando. Wilkens, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1988, joined Don Nelson as the only individuals to appear in 2,500 games. During the 1994-95 season he passed Nelson as the NBA’s all-time leader in game appearances, as a player or coach, with 2,737.

November 28, 1992 Reggie Miller exploded for 57 points to set an Indiana team record as the Pacers defeated the host Charlotte Hornets 134-122.

November 28, 1992 The LA. Clippers’ 121-119 road win at Denver gave Clippers’ head coach Larry Brown his 400th career NBA victory.

November 28, 1997 Chicago's Michael Jordan scored 26 points at Indiana to move past Elvin Hayes (27,313) into fourth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 27,332 points.