Sacramento coach Doug Christie was born and raised in Seattle. The SuperSonics meant everything to him as a kid. And when he heard the news about the death of Lenny Wilkens, who meant the world to basketball fans in that city, Christie couldn't hold back the tears.
“Without him,” Christie said, “I'm not here.”
The tributes — many of them emotional — began being offered quickly Sunday as the NBA world mourned the death of Wilkens, a three-time enshrinee
into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame for what he did first as a silky-smooth player and then as a soft-spoken coach who not only coached the Sonics to an NBA title in 1979 but also guided his country to an Olympic gold medal in 1996.
“An unbelievable man,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “Just an incredible man.”
Kerr played for Wilkens in Cleveland and told the story Sunday of how those Cavaliers were once missing a slew of players because of injuries. So, Wilkens — who was in his 50s at the time and on his way to becoming the NBA's all-time coaching wins leader — decided to take part in a scrimmage.
Kerr never saw Wilkens play during his official career, one that included nine All-Star selections 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 tons of game.
“I think he’s the only guy I know who’s a Hall of Fame player and Hall of Fame coach,” Kerr said. "Two different ways, maybe there’s one or two others. I didn’t watch him play, I wasn’t old enough to see him play but reading about his game and how talented he was and that he ends up breaking the all-time wins record as a coach. What a career.”
Wilkens eventually saw Don Nelson pass his record for coaching victories, and then Gregg Popovich eclipsed Nelson's total. But Wilkens' impact on coaches, even now, cannot be argued, Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said.
Wilkens was president of the National Basketball Coaches Association for 17 years, which was a record. It has since been eclipsed by Carlisle, who has been in that role for two decades. And Carlisle was pleased with the decision by Golden State to have a moment of silence during which Wilkens could be remembered before the Pacers-Warriors game Sunday.
“I ended up following him as president (of the NBCA),” Carlisle said. "He did a lot of things to further the profession; the pension, benefits, coaching salaries rose significantly during his time. He was a great representative to the league office, advocating for coaches and the things that coaches experience that a lot of people didn’t know about. Lenny was a great communicator with things like that.
“The thing that I’ll always remember, he was such a great gentleman, and such an eloquent human being, along with being a super competitive coach,” Carlisle said. "He is still way up there in all-time victories. Very, very special man. He’ll be missed but he’ll be remembered.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver lauded Wilkens for influencing “the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches” and doing so “with integrity and true class.” The Seattle Storm, the city's WNBA team, said Wilkens' “legacy and impact, both on the court and throughout our community, will continue to inspire for generations.”
“You set the standard of what it means to lead and have an impact in our community. You will be missed dearly,” former Seattle standout Detlef Schrempf posted on social media in reaction to Wilkens' death.
Wilkens played eight seasons for the St. Louis Hawks, four in Seattle, two in Cleveland and one in Portland. He was a player-coach in four of those seasons; three with the SuperSonics, one in Portland.
After his playing days were done, he continued coaching Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, Atlanta, Toronto and New York.
The Blazers said he was a “Pacific Northwest legend” who “helped grow the game of basketball in Rip City.” The Cavaliers, noting that he remains their all-time regular season coaching wins leader, said Wilkens “will forever be part of the history of this franchise.”
“Beyond his excellence as a player and a coach, he was an innovator, a trailblazer, a winner and a leader not just in Atlanta but every community in which he played and coached,” the Hawks said. “In addition to his numerous achievements, Lenny always carried himself with a calm 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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