HOF-worthy career as BOTH a player and coach. Don't forget about this guy in NBA history.
I remember him as being quiet and under-stated. RIP, Lenny.
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HOF-worthy career as BOTH a player and coach. Don't forget about this guy in NBA history.
I remember him as being quiet and under-stated. RIP, Lenny.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol? -
That stinks! I live close to Seattle. Wanted them to get a new team before he passed.
RIPComment -
After a season as Portland's fulltime coach, Wilkens returned to Seattle as coach in 1977-78, replacing Bob Hopkins, who started the season 5-17. Wilkens led the Sonics to the NBA Finals that season, where they lost to the Washington Bullets in seven games. He brought the Sonics back to the Finals in 1979, where they beat Bullets for Seattle's first and only NBA title.
Asked to explain how he related so well to players, Wilkens once told Newsday, "I know what young players are going through. I understand their backgrounds. I didn't come from anything either, so I've been there."
Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
Salud, sunshine. The organization asked him to become a player-coach. He was respected.Originally posted by sunshine11That stinks! I live close to Seattle. Wanted them to get a new team before he passed.
RIP
He had the attributes as both a player and coach. So, it was pretty seamless.
Sonics were a young team in the 1977-78 season. Made the Finals. And then won the title next year.Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
He was a great man Chucky. I had Bullets season tickets back then. The respect that the league had for him was top tier. Players throughout the league had nothing but great respect for him.Originally posted by ChuckyTheGoat
He was a legend Chucky.Comment -
Salud, str. Yes, he was really good. Have a few Lenny Wilkens cards in my collection.Originally posted by str
Gonna go back and watch some of those Final appearances from 1978 and 1979. Bullets were the more veteran team, won it in 1978. Sonics were emerging, flipped the script in 1979.
Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment -
I studied up on the 1978 Finals. Weird scheduling quirk. Game 4 was held in the Seattle Kingdome because the Seattle Center Coliseum was tied up with a mobile-home show. As a result, the Bullets had to contend with a then-record playoff crowd of over 39,000 fans.
The sequence of Home-Away games was not standard. I guess the Sonics didn't reserve the court after starting 5-17 and switching Coaches (to Wilkens).Where's the fuckin power box, Carol?Comment
