Lenny Wilkens Dies at 88, Hall of Famer Won 1979 NBA Title as SuperSonics HC

Lenny Wilkens, an NBA Hall of Fame player and coach, died at the age of 88 on Sunday, per Chris Daniels of KOMO News.

According to Daniels, Wilkens died peacefully at his home and surrounded by his family.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver released the following statement on Wilkens' death:

Wilkens had a prolific collegiate career at Providence and was drafted sixth overall in the 1960 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks, where he spent the first eight years of his career.

After being traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in 1968, he took over as head coach of the team in 1969 while maintaining his playing duties. He rounded out his playing career with a two-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

In his 15-year career, Wilkens put up 16.5 points and 6.7 assists per game, earning nine NBA All-Star nods and an All-Star Game MVP. His number was retired by the SuperSonics.

Following an outstanding playing career, Wilkens remained with the Trail Blazers as a full-time coach before returning to Seattle to take over as head coach in 1977. He reached the NBA Finals in his first season back as head coach and led the SuperSonics to their first championship the following year.

The title in 1979 was the only one for the city of Seattle, and it was the last championship for the franchise until the Oklahoma City Thunder won last season.

After his time with the SuperSonics, Wilkens coached the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1986 to 1993, the Atlanta Hawks from 1993 to 2000, the Toronto Raptors from 2000 to 2003 and the New York Knicks from 2004 to 2005. His final stint as a head coach was with the Knicks.

Wilkens was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame as a player in 1989, as a coach in 1998 and was also inducted in 2010 for serving as an assistant coach for the 1992 United States Olympic team.