Wilkens’ family announced the news but did not divulge a cause of death of the Basketball Hall of Fame player and coach.By News AgenciesPublished On 10 Nov 202510 Nov 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareLenny 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.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listWilkens 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 famous 1992 US Olympic team – on which he was an assistant. Wilkens coached the Americans to gold at the Atlanta Games as well, in 1996.“Lenny Wilkens represented the very best of the NBA – as a Hall of Fame player, Hall of Fame coach, and one of the game’s most respected ambassadors,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Sunday. “So much so that, four years ago, Lenny received the unique distinction of being named one of the league’s 75 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches of all time.” Lenny Wilkins, assistant coach of the 1992 US Olympic basketball team, centre, stands between US players Earvin “Magic” Johnson, right, and Michael Jordan near the end of their 117-85 win over Croatia in the gold medal game at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain on August 8, 1992 [John Gaps/AP]A memorable career as player and coachWilkens was a nine-time All-Star as a player, the first person to reach 1,000 wins as an NBA coach and the second person inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and coach. Advertisement He coached the Seattle SuperSonics to the NBA title in 1979 and remained iconic in that city for the rest of his life, often being considered a godfather of sorts for basketball in Seattle – which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City in 2008 and has been trying to get a team back since.And he did it all with grace, something he was proud …
