Lenny Wilkens, Basketball Hall of Famer and Providence College Star, Dies at 88

Lenny Wilkens, Basketball Hall of Famer and Providence College Star, Dies at 88

Leonard Randolph Wilkens, a Basketball Hall of Famer who starred at Providence College before a distinguished career as a player and coach in the National Basketball Association, has died at 88. 

Wilkens was born in Brooklyn, New York, on October 28, 1937. He attended Boys High School, where he was a basketball teammate of longtime Major League Baseball star Tommy Davis, and enrolled at Providence College in 1956. 

At Providence, Wilkens was a two-time All-American and led the Friars to their first National Invitation Tournament appearance in 1959. The Friars, led by Wilkens, lost in the finals in 1960. He was named MVP of the tournament.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

He graduated in 1960 with a degree in economics and was later inducted into the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Wilkens was selected sixth overall by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1960 NBA Draft. Over a 15-year playing career, he was named an NBA All-Star nine times and was known for his leadership as a playmaker and guard. He later became one of the few figures in league history to serve as both player-coach and head coach for multiple teams, including the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, and New York Knicks.

In 1979, Wilkens guided the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA championship. He retired as the winningest coach in NBA history at that time, with 1,332 victories. His combined record as player and coach remains among the most accomplished in professional basketball.

Wilkens was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three times — as a player (1989), a coach (1998), and as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” coaching staff (2010).