Lenny Wilkens
Encyclopedia
Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens (born October 28, 1937, in Brooklyn
, New York, U.S.) is a retired American basketball player and coach in the 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 as part of the US Olympic "The Dream Team" for whom he was an Assistant Coach.
On November 29, 2006 he was hired as vice chairman of the Seattle SuperSonics
' ownership group, and was later named the Sonics' President of Basketball Operations on April 27, 2007. On July 6, 2007 Wilkens resigned from the Sonics organization. Wilkens currently is seen on Northwest FSN Studio as a College Hoops analyst and occasionally appears on College Hoops Northwest at game nights.
neighborhood of Brooklyn
. His father was African American and his mother was Irish
. Wilkens was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.
At Boys High School, Wilkens was a basketball teammate of longtime Major League Baseball
star Tommy Davis
.
. 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 twentieth as of 2005). In 1996, Wilkens' No. 14 jersey was retired by the college, the first alumnus to receive such an honor.
Wilkens was drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Hawks
in the 1960 NBA Draft
. He played for the Hawks (1960–1968), Seattle SuperSonics
(1968–1972
), Cleveland Cavaliers
(1972
–1974) and Portland Trail Blazers
(1974–1975).
Wilkens placed second to Wilt Chamberlain
in the 1967–1968 MVP balloting. Wilkens was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and was named the 1971 NBA All-Star Game
MVP in 1971. He led the league in assists in the 1969–70 season, and at the time of his retirement, Wilkens was the NBA's second all-time leading playmaker, behind only Oscar Robertson
.
with Seattle, and in his one season as a player with Portland, 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. 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 1977–1978 season. He coached in Seattle for eight seasons (1977–1985), winning his (and Seattle's) only NBA Championship in 1979. He would go on to coach Cleveland (1986–1993), Atlanta (1993–2000), Toronto (2000–2003) and New York (2004–2005).
The Hall of Famer was named head coach of the New York Knicks
on January 15, 2004. After the Knicks' slow start to the 2004–2005 season, Wilkens resigned from the team on January 22, 2005.
for most wins. Wilkens' accomplishments come from his 35 years of coaching in the NBA, among the longest tenures in the league.
He coached the Olympic
Champion Men's Basketball team in 1996
and was an assistant coach on the 1992 USA Olympic Dream Team.
Wilkens is one of three players to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach (the other two being John Wooden
and Bill Sharman
), joining the Hall in 1989 as a player and 1998 as a coach. In 1996, the NBA named Wilkens one of its 50 Greatest Players and 10 Greatest Coaches; Wilkens is the only person named to both lists. He is also a member of the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1994 Coach Wilkens was presented the United States Sports Academy
's Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award for his outstanding achievement as a coach.
Source: Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record – Basketball-Reference.com
Wilkens is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
fraternity.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York, U.S.) is a retired American basketball player and coach in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. 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 as part of the US Olympic "The Dream Team" for whom he was an Assistant Coach.
On November 29, 2006 he was hired as vice chairman of the Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
' ownership group, and was later named the Sonics' President of Basketball Operations on April 27, 2007. On July 6, 2007 Wilkens resigned from the Sonics organization. Wilkens currently is seen on Northwest FSN Studio as a College Hoops analyst and occasionally appears on College Hoops Northwest at game nights.
Early life
Wilkens grew up in the Bedford-StuyvesantBedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
Bedford-Stuyvesant is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Formed in 1930, the neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 3, Brooklyn Community Board 8 and Brooklyn Community Board 16. The neighborhood is patrolled by the NYPD's 79th and 81st...
neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. His father was African American and his mother was Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
. Wilkens was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.
At Boys High School, Wilkens was a basketball teammate of longtime Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
star Tommy Davis
Tommy Davis
Herman Thomas Davis, Jr. is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder and third baseman. He played from 1959-1976 for ten different teams, but he is best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During an 18-year baseball career, Davis batted .294 with 153 home runs, 2,121...
.
Playing career
Wilkens was a two-time All-American (1959 and 1960) at Providence CollegeProvidence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
. He led the team to their first NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
appearance in 1959
1959 National Invitation Tournament
The 1959 National Invitation Tournament was the 1959 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
, and to the NIT finals in 1960
1960 National Invitation Tournament
The 1960 National Invitation Tournament was the 1960 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
. When he graduated, Wilkens was, with 1,193 points, the second-ranked scorer in Friar history (he has since dropped to twentieth as of 2005). In 1996, Wilkens' No. 14 jersey was retired by the college, the first alumnus to receive such an honor.
Wilkens was drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
in the 1960 NBA Draft
1960 NBA Draft
The 1960 NBA Draft was the 14th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 11, 1960 before the 1960–61 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college...
. He played for the Hawks (1960–1968), Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...
(1968–1972
1971–72 NBA season
The 1971–72 NBA season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals....
), Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
(1972
1971–72 NBA season
The 1971–72 NBA season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals....
–1974) and Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
(1974–1975).
Wilkens placed second to Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
in the 1967–1968 MVP balloting. Wilkens was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and was named the 1971 NBA All-Star Game
1971 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 21: at the San Diego Sports Arena, Jan. 12, 1971MVP: Lenny WilkensCoaches: East: Red Holzman, West: Larry Costello.-Western Conference: -Eastern Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— West, 62-60*Third Quarter— East, 83-82...
MVP in 1971. He led the league in assists in the 1969–70 season, and at the time of his retirement, Wilkens was the NBA's second all-time leading playmaker, behind only Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
.
Coaching career
From 1969–19721971–72 NBA season
The 1971–72 NBA season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals....
with Seattle, and in his one season as a player with Portland, he was a player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
.
He retired from playing in 1975 and was the full-time coach of the Trail Blazers for one more season. 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 1977–1978 season. He coached in Seattle for eight seasons (1977–1985), winning his (and Seattle's) only NBA Championship in 1979. He would go on to coach Cleveland (1986–1993), Atlanta (1993–2000), Toronto (2000–2003) and New York (2004–2005).
The Hall of Famer was named head coach of the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
on January 15, 2004. After the Knicks' slow start to the 2004–2005 season, Wilkens resigned from the team on January 22, 2005.
Accomplishments
He retired with 1,332 wins and 1,155 losses. He is second behind former NBA coach Don NelsonDon Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
for most wins. Wilkens' accomplishments come from his 35 years of coaching in the NBA, among the longest tenures in the league.
He coached the Olympic
Basketball at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Basketball contests at the 1996 Olympic Games were held from July 20, 1996 to August 4, 1996. Games took place at the Morehouse College Gymnasium and the Georgia Dome. For the second straight Olympic games, the American men's team composed almost entirely of NBA players won the gold medal...
Champion Men's Basketball team in 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
and was an assistant coach on the 1992 USA Olympic Dream Team.
Wilkens is one of three players to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach (the other two being John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
and Bill Sharman
Bill Sharman
William Walton "Bill" Sharman is a former professional basketball player and coach. Sharman completed high school in the rural city of Porterville, California and is mostly known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s, partnering with Bob Cousy in what some consider the greatest...
), joining the Hall in 1989 as a player and 1998 as a coach. In 1996, the NBA named Wilkens one of its 50 Greatest Players and 10 Greatest Coaches; Wilkens is the only person named to both lists. He is also a member of the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame.
In 1994 Coach Wilkens was presented the United States Sports Academy
United States Sports Academy
The United States Sports Academy is an accredited, sport-specific institution located in Daphne, Alabama. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the Academy has provided its sports programs to more than 60 countries around the...
's Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award for his outstanding achievement as a coach.
Quotes
- "I learned my basketball on the playgrounds of BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. 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."
Coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | SEA Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as... |
1969/70 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 5th in Western Division | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA | 1970/71 | 38 | 44 | .463 | 4th in Pacific Division Pacific Division (NBA) The Pacific Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings... |
||||||
| SEA | 1971/72 1971–72 NBA season The 1971–72 NBA season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the New York Knicks 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.... |
47 | 35 | .573 | 3rd in Pacific Division | ||||||
| POR Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the... |
1974/75 | 38 | 44 | .463 | 3rd in Pacific Division | ||||||
| POR | 1975/76 | 37 | 45 | .451 | 5th in Pacific Division | ||||||
| SEA | 1977/78 | 42 | 18 | .700 | 3rd in Pacific Division | 13 | 9 | .591 | NBA Finals | ||
| SEA | 1978/79 | 52 | 30 | .634 | 1st in Pacific Division | 12 | 5 | .706 | NBA Championship | ||
| SEA | 1979/80 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2nd in Pacific Division | 7 | 8 | .467 | Conf. Finals | ||
| SEA | 1980/81 | 34 | 48 | .415 | 6th in Pacific Division | ||||||
| SEA | 1981/82 | 52 | 30 | .634 | 2nd in Pacific Division | 3 | 5 | .375 | Conf. Semifinals | ||
| SEA | 1982/83 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 3rd in Pacific Division | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1st round | ||
| SEA | 1983/84 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 3rd in Pacific Division | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1st round | ||
| SEA | 1984/85 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 5th in Pacific Division | ||||||
| CLE Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team... |
1986/87 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 4th in Central Division Central Division (NBA) The Central Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks... |
||||||
| CLE | 1987/88 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 4th in Central Division | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1st round | ||
| CLE | 1988/89 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2nd in Central Division | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1st round | ||
| CLE | 1989/90 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 4th in Central Division | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1st round | ||
| CLE | 1990/91 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 6th in Central Division | ||||||
| CLE | 1991/92 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2nd in Central Division | 9 | 8 | .529 | Conf. Finals | ||
| CLE | 1992/93 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 2nd in Central Division | 3 | 6 | .333 | Conf. Semifinals | ||
| ATL | 1993/94 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st in Central Division | 5 | 6 | .455 | Conf. Semifinals | ||
| ATL | 1994/95 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 5th in Central Division | 0 | 3 | .000 | 1st round | ||
| ATL | 1995/96 | 46 | 36 | .561 | 4th in Central Division | 4 | 6 | .400 | Conf. Semifinals | ||
| ATL | 1996/97 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2nd in Central Division | 4 | 6 | .400 | Conf. Semifinals | ||
| ATL | 1997/98 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4th in Central Division | 1 | 3 | .250 | 1st round | ||
| ATL | 1998/99 | 31 | 19 | .620 | 2nd in Central Division | 3 | 6 | .333 | Conf. Semifinals | ||
| ATL | 1999/00 | 28 | 54 | .341 | 7th in Central Division | ||||||
| TOR | 2000/01 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 2nd in Central Division | 6 | 6 | .500 | Conf. Semifinals | ||
| TOR | 2001/02 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 3rd in Central Division | 2 | 3 | .400 | 1st round | ||
| TOR | 2002/03 | 24 | 58 | .293 | 7th in Central Division | ||||||
| NYK | 2003/04 | 23 | 19 | .548 | 3rd in Atlantic Division Atlantic Division (NBA) The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Boston Celtics, the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors... |
0 | 4 | .000 | 1st round | ||
| NYK | 2004/05 | 17 | 22 | .436 | 5th in Atlantic Division | ||||||
| 32 seasons | 1332 | 1155 | .536 | ||||||||
| 80 | 98 | .449 | |||||||||
Source: Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record – Basketball-Reference.com
See also
- List of National Basketball Association career free throw scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
Trivia
A basketball signed by Lenny Wilkens appeared behind Barack Obama in his first YouTube "radio" address as President-elect.Wilkens is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
fraternity.