Matthew Zunic (September 19, 1919 – December 15, 2006) was an American basketball player and coach.
 He played college basketball at the George Washington University.
 A 6'3" guard, he played one season (1948-49) in the Basketball Association of America, a precursor to the NBA.
 He averaged 4.9 points per game for the Washington Capitols.
Albert Edward "Al" Negratti (June 12, 1921 – January 19, 1998) was an American basketball player, coach, and college athletics administrator.
 He played professionally for one season, 1946–47, in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) as a member of the Washington Capitols.
 Negratti attended Seton Hall University, where played college basketball.
 Negratti served as the head basketball coach at the University of Portland from 1955 to 1967, compiling a record of 163–156.
 Negratti died of cancer on January 19, 1998 at his home in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The 1994–95 NBA season was the Hawks' 46th season in the National Basketball Association, and 27th season in Atlanta.
 During the offseason, the Hawks acquired Ken Norman from the Milwaukee Bucks, and Tyrone Corbin from the Utah Jazz.
 Early into the season, they traded Kevin Willis to the Miami Heat for Steve Smith and Grant Long after the first two games.
 Without Dominique Wilkins, who signed with the Boston Celtics in the offseason, the Hawks struggled losing their first four games and held a 12–19 record as of January 4.
 However, Lenny Wilkens made history by becoming the NBA's all-time winningest coach, surpassing Red Auerbach on January 6 with 939 wins in a 112–90 win over the Washington Bullets.
 The Hawks won seven of their final ten games finishing fifth in the Central Division with a mediocre 42–40 record, with Mookie Blaylock leading the team in scoring, assists, steals and three-point field goals.
The 1946–47 Washington Capitols season was the inaugural season of the Washington Capitols in the Basketball Association of America (BAA).
 Their record was 49–11, owning the best overall record in the league.
Robert M. "Bob" Hopkins (November 3, 1934 – May 15, 2015) was an American basketball player and coach.
 He played college basketball at Grambling State University, where he scored 3,759 points (averaging 29.8 points per game for his career), and then played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for four seasons with the Syracuse Nationals.
 He later coached the Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA during part of the 1977–78 season, posting a 5–17 record before being fired midseason.
 He was replaced by Lenny Wilkens, who led the Sonics to the NBA Finals that season and the following, winning the NBA championship in 1979.
 He died of heart and kidney failure on May 15, 2015.
John Joseph Mandic (October 3, 1919 – June 22, 2003) was an American professional basketball player of Croatian origin.
 He played college basketball for Oregon State University from 1939 to 1942.
 He played for the Portland Indians of the Pacific Coast Professional Basketball League in the team's debut season in 1946–47, and was drafted by the Washington Capitols in the 1947 BAA draft after the season had finished.
 Instead of playing for the Capitols, he instead signed with the Rochester Royals of the National Basketball League and played for the team for one season.
 He joined the Indianapolis Jets for the 1948–49 BAA season.
 He was sold to the Capitols, the team that had drafted him two years prior, on August 13, 1949.
 After playing 22 games with the Capitols, he was waived, and signed with the Baltimore Bullets, but only managed three games with the team before retiring from playing basketball.
Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American basketball coach of the Washington Capitols, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and the Boston Celtics.
 After he retired from coaching, he served as president and front office executive of the Celtics until his death.
 As a coach, he won 938 games (a record at his retirement) and nine National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in ten years (a number surpassed only by Phil Jackson, who won 11 in twenty years).
 As general manager and team president of the Celtics, he won an additional seven NBA titles, for a grand total of 16 in a span of 29 years, making him one of the most successful team officials in the history of North American professional sports.
Harold Hunter (April 30, 1926 – March 7, 2013) was an American basketball coach and player.
 On April 26, 1950, Hunter became the first African American to sign a professional contract with any National Basketball Association (NBA) team when he joined the Washington Capitols.
 He was cut from the team during training camp and never played for an NBA team.
 He later coached basketball for the United States men's national basketball team, Tennessee State University, and the U.S. Olympic basketball team.
The 1993–94 NBA season was the Hawks' 45th season in the National Basketball Association, and 26th season in Atlanta.
 In the offseason, Michael Jordan shocked the NBA by announcing his retirement.
 This meant that various teams in the league had an opportunity to contend for a championship.
 The Hawks hired Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens as their new head coach.
 Wilkens was a star guard for the franchise when it was based in St. Louis in the 1960s.
 Wilkens was quickly moving up the all-time coaching wins list after successful runs with the Seattle SuperSonics and Cleveland Cavaliers.
 Wilkens employed a defensive system which benefited several members of the team.
 The team also signed free agents Craig Ehlo and Andrew Lang during the offseason.
The 1971–72 Seattle SuperSonics season was the 5th season of the Seattle SuperSonics in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
 In their third season with Lenny Wilkens as head coach, the Sonics finished the regular season in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 47–35 record, their first winning record in franchise history.
 Wilkens quit as head coach at the end of the season and was replaced by former Dallas Chaparrals coach Tom Nissalke.

Question: When was the American basketball coach of the Washington Capitols died who was surpassed on January 6 by Lenny Wilkens?
Answer: October 28, 2006