SuperSonics Icon Lenny Wilkens Honored with 1st-Ever Statue at Climate Pledge Arena
Seattle SuperSonics legend Lenny Wilkens was honored with the first-ever statue outside Climate Pledge Arena at the Seattle Center on Saturday.
Wilkens played in the NBA from 1960 to 1975, including a stint with the SuperSonics from 1968 to 1972, where he made three All-Star appearances and totallied 6,010 points and 2,777 assists.
After his playing days, Wilkens became the SuperSonics' head coach for 11 seasons, leading the team to an NBA championship during the 1978-79 season. He compiled a 478-402 record during his coaching tenure in Seattle.
Now a Brooklyn native turned Seattle icon, Wilkens joined the SuperSonics in the franchise’s second year and made the city his home—reflecting on his early days in the Pacific Northwest during the ceremony.
"Reminds me of when I first came out here," said Wilkens on Saturday as he received the honor. "You know, we're a better community when we're supportive of one another, when we help each other, when we take time to recognize one another."
His contributions to the city of Seattle have not gone unnoticed, as those in attendance made clear during the ceremony.
"He has uplifted this community in many ways," Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said. "From uniting our community when we won that world championship back in the 1970s to all the work he's done quietly, behind the scenes when he's not in front of 14,000 fans and a national TV audience -- quietly working to uplift our community and the next generation. Please thank him just as much for all that hard work that he's done for our community."
