Sacramento coach Doug Christie was born and raised in Seattle. Growing up, the SuperSonics meant everything to him. And when he heard the news of the death of Lenny Wilkens, who meant the world to basketball fans in this city, Christie could not hold back his tears.
“Without him,” Christy said, “I’m not here.”
Congratulations, many of them emotional, began pouring in quickly Sunday as the NBA world mourned the death of Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for what he did first as a soft-spoken player and then as a soft-spoken coach who not only led the Sonics to an NBA title in 1979 but also led his country to an Olympic gold medal in 1996.
“Incredible man,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “Simply an incredible person.”
Kerr played for Wilkens in Cleveland and on Sunday told the story of how the Cavaliers once lost numerous players to injury. So Wilkens, who was in his 50s at the time and on track to become the NBA's all-time leader in coaching wins, decided to enter the fray.
Kerr never saw Wilkens play during his official career, which included nine All-Star games and was good enough to earn him spots on both the NBA's 50th Anniversary and 75th Anniversary teams. But that day he learned that his middle-aged coach still had a lot of game left in him.
“I think he's the only guy I know who is a Hall of Fame player and a Hall of Fame coach,” Kerr said. “Two different paths, maybe one or two others. I didn't watch him play, I wasn't old enough to see him play, but I read about him playing and how talented he was and how he ended up breaking the record for all wins as a coach. What a career.”
Wilkens eventually saw Don Nelson break his record for coaching wins and then Gregg Popovich surpass Nelson's mark. But Wilkens' influence on coaches even now can't be disputed, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said.
Wilkens served as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches for a record 17 years. He has since been eclipsed by Carlisle, who has held the position for two decades. And Carlisle was pleased with Golden State's decision to hold a moment of silence to remember Wilkens before Sunday's Pacers-Warriors game.
“I ended up following him as (NBCA) president,” Carlisle said. “He did a lot of things to advance the profession; pensions, benefits, coaching salaries went up significantly during his time. He was a great representative in the league office, advocating for coaches and what coaches were going through that a lot of people didn't know about. Lenny was a great communicator on things like that.”
“What I will always remember is that he was such a great gentleman and such an articulate person and a super competitive coach,” Carlisle said. “He's still riding high on the winning record. A very, very special man. He will be missed, but he will be remembered.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised Wilkens for influencing “the lives of countless young people and generations of players and coaches” and doing so with “honesty and real class.” The Seattle Storm, the city's WNBA team, said Wilkens' “legacy and influence, both on the court and throughout our community, will continue to inspire generations.”
“You set the standard for what it means to lead and make an impact in our community. You will be greatly missed,” former Seattle standout Detlef Schrempf wrote on social media in response to Wilkens' death.
Wilkens played eight seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, four in Seattle, two in Cleveland and one in Portland. He was a player-coach for four of those seasons; three with the SuperSonics, one in Portland.
After his playing days ended, he went on to coach Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, Atlanta, Toronto and New York.
The Blazers said he was a “Pacific Northwest legend” who “helped grow basketball in the Rip City.” The Cavaliers, noting that he remains their all-time leader in regular-season coaching wins, said Wilkens “will forever be a part of the history of this franchise.”
“Beyond his excellence as a player and coach, he was an innovator, a trailblazer, a winner and a leader not only in Atlanta, but in every community in which he played and coached,” the Hawks said. “In addition to his many accomplishments, Lenny always carried himself with quiet dignity and undeniable class and grace.”
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AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley in San Francisco contributed to this report.
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