Lenny Wilkens

**Leonard Randolph Wilkens** (October 28, 1937 – November 9, 2025) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was honored three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

## Early life

Leonard Randolph Wilkens was born on October 28, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. Wilkens grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. His father was African-American and his mother was Irish American.

Wilkens was a two-time All-America (1959 and 1960) at Providence College.

## Career

Wilkens played for the St. Louis Hawks, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Portland Trail Blazers from 1960 to 1975. He coached the SuperSonics, Trail Blazers, Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and the New York Knicks from 1969 to 2005.

Wilkens coached the United States men's national basketball team during the Summer Olympics, winning gold medals in 1992 and 1996.

In 1996, Wilkens was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In 2022, he was also named to the list of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, being the only person to be in both NBA 75th season celebration lists, as a player and as a coach.

Wilkens was honored into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

## Death

Wilkens died at his home in Medina, Washington on November 9, 2025, at the age of 88.

## Other websites

- Basketball-Reference.com: Lenny Wilkens (as a player)
- Basketball-Reference.com: Lenny Wilkens (as a coach)

## Infobox (basketball biography)

- **name**: Lenny Wilkens
- **image**: Lenny Wilkens 2013.jpg
- **caption**: Wilkens in 2013
- **height ft**: 6
- **height in**: 1
- **weight lb**: 180
- **birth place**: New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S.
- **death place**: Medina, Washington, U.S.
- **high school**: Boys High School (Brooklyn, New York), Boys (Brooklyn, New York)
- **college**: Providence Friars men's basketball, Providence (1957–1960)
- **draft year**: 1960
- **draft round**: 1
- **draft pick**: 6
- **draft team**: St. Louis Hawks
- **career number**: 32, 15, 14, 19, 17
- **career position**: Point guard
- **career start**: 1960
- **career end**: 1975
- **coach start**: 1969
- **coach end**: 2005
- **years1**: –
- **team1**: St. Louis Hawks
- **years2**: –
- **team2**: Seattle SuperSonics
- **years3**: –
- **team3**: Cleveland Cavaliers
- **team4**: Portland Trail Blazers
- **cyears1**: –
- **cteam1**: Seattle SuperSonics
- **cyears2**: –
- **cteam2**: Portland Trail Blazers
- **cyears3**: –
- **cteam3**: Seattle SuperSonics
- **cyears4**: –
- **cteam4**: Cleveland Cavaliers
- **cyears5**: –
- **cteam5**: Atlanta Hawks
- **cyears6**: –
- **cteam6**: Toronto Raptors
- **cyears7**: –
- **cteam7**: New York Knicks
- **highlights**: **As player:**
* 9× List of NBA All-Stars, NBA All-Star (–, –, )
* NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, NBA All-Star Game MVP (1971)
* List of National Basketball Association annual assists leaders, NBA assists leader (1970)
* NBA anniversary teams (50 Greatest Players in NBA History, 50th, NBA 75th Anniversary Team, 75th)
* No. 19 Seattle SuperSonics#Retired numbers, retired by Seattle SuperSonics
* Consensus second-team NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans, All-American (1960 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans, 1960)
**As coach:**
* List of NBA champions, NBA champion ()
* NBA Coach of the Year Award, NBA Coach of the Year ()
* 4× List of NBA All-Star Game head coaches, NBA All-Star Game head coach (1979 NBA All-Star Game, 1979, 1980 NBA All-Star Game, 1980, 1989 NBA All-Star Game, 1989, 1994 NBA All-Star Game, 1994)
* Top 10 Coaches in NBA History
* Top 15 Coaches in NBA History
* Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award (2011)
- **stat1label**: Point (basketball), Points
- **stat1value**: 17,772 (16.5 ppg)
- **stat2label**: Rebound (basketball), Rebounds
- **stat2value**: 5,030 (4.7 rpg)
- **stat3label**: Assist (basketball), Assists
- **stat3value**: 7,211 (6.7 apg)
- **cstats league1**: NBA
- **cwin1**: 1332
- **closs1**: 1155
- **hof player**: lenny-wilkens
- **hof coach**: lenny-wilkens1
- **cbbaskhof year**: 2006