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.Beck, Howard. "PRO BASKETBALL; Wilkens Denies He Was Asked to Go", The New York Times, September 28, 2005. Accessed November 20, 2007. "A native of Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, Wilkens had added motivation to succeed in New York, which made leaving so quickly that much tougher." 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.

References

Other websites

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

Category:1937 births
Category:2025 deaths
Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States
Category:National Basketball Association coaches
Category:Atlanta Hawks players
Category:Seattle SuperSonics players
Category:Cleveland Cavaliers players
Category:Portland Trail Blazers players
Category:Sportspeople from New York City