Lenny Wilkens
(Born 1937)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1989
Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless
Association Autographs
Position: PG
Height: 6’1″
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Lenny Wilkens has earned the highest recognition in the game of basketball. He has been inducted into the Hall of Fame in Springfield three times: as a player, as a coach, and as a member (assistant coach) of the iconic 1992 Olympic Dream Team. As a player, Wilkens was a southpaw, play-making guard who could also score the ball. He averaged over sixteen points per game during his fifteen-year NBA career and retired with the second most assists in NBA history with 7,211.
After he retired as a player, Lenny went on to coach in the NBA for Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, Atlanta, Toronto, and New York. He led the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA championship in 1979 and was awarded NBA Coach of the Year in 1994 while with the Atlanta Hawks. Wilkens retired from coaching with 1,332 wins, a record at that time.
Awards and Honors
- Wilkens was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks with the sixth overall selection in the first round of the 1960 NBA Draft. The first two picks in the NBA Draft that year were Oscar Robertson (1) and Jerry West (2).
- Lenny was an NBA All-Star in nine of his fifteen seasons in the league. In 1971 he was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
- In 1967-68, Lenny finished second in the NBA Most Valuable Player voting behind Wilt Chamberlain, averaging 20.0 points and 8.3 assists per game.
- Wilkens is the only person to be named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History.
- Lenny has been inducted into the Hall of Fame a record three times: once as a player (1989), once as a coach (1998), and once as a member (assistant coach) of the 1992 Dream Team (2010).
Points of Interest
- Wilkens only played high school basketball during his freshman and senior years before earning a scholarship to attend Providence College. At Providence, Lenny propelled the team to an NIT semifinal berth in his junior year. As a senior in 1959-60, he led the school to the NIT championship game against Bradley. Even though Providence lost, Wilkens was voted the tournament MVP.
- In his rookie year with the St. Louis Hawks, Lenny averaged 11.7 points, fourth on the team behind future Hall of Famers Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan, and Clyde Lovellette. That year, 1961, the Hawks lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals in five games.
- During his NBA career, Wilkens averaged 16.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game. He led the league in assists in 1969-70 with 9.1 assists per game.
- Wilkens served for four seasons as a player-coach, three for the Seattle SuperSonics and one for the Portland Trailblazers.
- Lenny was an assistant coach of the famous USA Dream Team that won the gold medal in Barcelona in 1992. In 1996, he coached the United States to another gold medal in Atlanta.
Statistics
Lenny Wilkens Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com