SEATTLE — Lenny Wilkens, a three-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame who was enshrined as both a player and a coach, has died, his family said Sunday. He was 88.
The family said Wilkens was surrounded by loved ones when he died and did not immediately release a cause of death.
Wilkens was one of the finest point guards of his era who later brought his calm and savvy style to the sideline, first as a player-coach and then evolving into one of the game’s great coaches.
He coached 2,487 games in the NBA, which is still a record. He became a Hall of Famer as a player, as a coach and again as part of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team — which he coached to gold at the Atlanta Games.
Wilkens coached three seasons with the Toronto Raptors from 2000-2003 and led the franchise to its first playoff series win in his first season as head coach.
— With files from Sportsnet Staff
