Lenny Wilkens

[theel4life]

RIP

Legendary NBA player, coach Wilkens dies at 88

Lenny Wilkens, a smooth playmaker who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, has died. He was 88.

www.espn.com

 

[donbosco]

He was of that Jerry West, Dave Bing, Oscar Robertson generation. Great passer. Pretty good coach too and I guess he was one of the first AFAM in the NBA.

 

[nycfan]

RIP Lenny

 

[Zoo_View]

He was of that Jerry West, Dave Bing, Oscar Robertson generation. Great passer. Pretty good coach too and I guess he was one of the first AFAM in the NBA.

Lenny was the 3rd AFAM coach in the NBA (‘69-‘70). Bill Russell was first (April ‘67); Al Attles was second (midway ‘69-‘70).

Bill Russell was Red Auerbach’s 4th choice to become the Celtics head coach.

Who is the first AFAM head coach in the NBA who was not first hired as a player-coach?

Is it K.C. Jones (Capital Bullets, 1973)?

 

[Oddball]

Lenny Wilkens was pure class, sorry to hear he passed

 

[Icky Mettle]

Lenny was the 3rd AFAM coach in the NBA (‘69-‘70). Bill Russell was first (April ‘67); Al Attles was second (midway ‘69-‘70).

Bill Russell was Red Auerbach’s 4th choice to become the Celtics head coach.

Who is the first AFAM head coach in the NBA who was not first hired as a player-coach?

Is it K.C. Jones (Capital Bullets, 1973)?

The whole concept of the player-head coach is just wild to me.

 

[Icky Mettle]

Lenny was the 3rd AFAM coach in the NBA (‘69-‘70). Bill Russell was first (April ‘67); Al Attles was second (midway ‘69-‘70).

Bill Russell was Red Auerbach’s 4th choice to become the Celtics head coach.

Who is the first AFAM head coach in the NBA who was not first hired as a player-coach?

Is it K.C. Jones (Capital Bullets, 1973)?

It appears that the first AFAM head coach who was not also a player-coach was Earl Lloyd, who was hired as head coach of the Detroit Pistons in 1971. Lloyd was also the first AFAM player to play in an NBA game.