Wilkens About To Receive Rare Tribute Never Bestowed On A Sonic

What do you get the man who has (nearly) everything?

That’s an especially difficult riddle when the man in question is NBA legend Lenny Wilkens, who cemented his legacy as player, coach, and executive with the Seattle Sonics. Maybe figuring out the mystery gift would be easier by eliminating the lengthy of list what Lenny already owns.

• Basketball Hall of Fame as a player
• Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach
• Basketball Hall of Fame as an Olympian
• College Basketball Hall of Fame
• U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
• FIBA Hall of Fame
• Street – Lenny Wilkens Way outside Climate Pledge Arena
• NBA World Championship as Sonics coach in 1979
• Gold Medal as Team USA head coach in 1996
• Gold Medal as Team USA assistant coach in 1992
• First NBA coach with 1,000 wins
• 1994 NBA coach of the year

Okay, take a breath. We’re only halfway done.

• NBA Top 10 All Time coaches, 1996
• NBA Top 50 All Time players, 1996 (only person on both lists)
• Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award
• 17 years as president, NBA Coaches Ass’n.
• Served as VP, NBA Players Ass’n.
• 4-time All Star as coach
• 9-time All Star as player
• 1971 All Star Game MVP
• Twice 1st Team All-America at Providence College
• #19 Retired By Sonics
• #14 Retired by Providence
• Cavaliers Wall of Honor

Wilkens By The Numbers

Lenny Wilkens’ statistics are as staggering as the above achievements. 15 seasons as a player, 1,077 games, 38,064 minutes, 17,772 points, 7,211 assists, 5,030 rebounds. 308 of those games were played with Seattle between 1969-72. Three of those four seasons, he served as player-coach.

Speaking of coaching, Wilkens spent 32 years and 2,487 games in that role, some while still playing. He returned to Seattle after retiring as a player, coaching eight more seasons and 880 games. He took the Sonics to back-to-back NBA Finals, winning the championship in 1979.

The Man Behind The Numbers

Of course, cold recitations of numbers, impressive as they may be, hardly provide a complete picture of a Seattle legend like Wilkens. In this city alone, he served as point guard, player-coach, coach, director of player personnel, general manager, president of basketball operations and vice-chairman. He may have worn the Squatch costume once or twice, too, though there’s no confirmation of this.

Here’s what some of the people who played, coached and covered the NBA during Wilkens’ era said about him.

• “He built teams. He didn’t have stars, so his teams relied on five players. His Seattle champions were the most starless in NBA history. In fact, when they went to the Finals in 1978, it was without a player on the All-Star team that season. It can be argued (as a coach), no one has done more with less in NBA history.” – Sam Smith, ESPN

• As a player, “He developed a tight handle of the ball with his left hand and could shoot from the midrange, get to the basket and had become keenly aware of his surroundings – whether it was how to find a passing lane or to create an opportunity when one did not exist.” As a coach, “The breadth and depth of Wilkens’ career are nearly unrivaled, supreme talents as a teacher of the game and leader of men.” – Joe Vardon, The Athletic

• “He had a little crossover move, one dribble, and then he was back, and you couldn’t stop him. He was just unreal. I learned more from Lenny than I learned from anybody I ever played with.” – Austin Carr, Cleveland Cavaliers

• “I think he is underrated as a player and a coach, in the history of the game, just period. He was brilliant.” – Brad Daugherty, Cleveland Cavaliers

• “He’s probably the smartest backcourt man we face. The only guy who might compare is Jerry West, but I think Lenny is a little more conscious of mismatches and open men. And he has a great ability to deceive the defense. Everybody in the league knows that he’s going to his left almost all the time, but somehow, he makes a little move that convinces you he’s going right – and then he goes to his left again and beats you.” – Bill Bradley, NY Knicks

• “A tenacious, hot-shooting guard who averaged double figures in 14 of 15 NBA seasons. Wilkens had the uncanny court sense to serve as a player and coach simultaneously.” – Basketball Hall of Fame

• “His reserved demeanor belies his achievements while his self-effacing manner is reflected in his coaching style: a game plan based on unselfish offensive and defensive play that creates powerhouse teamwork. His humble disposition has not changed in 30 years, observed Jack Ramsay, who posted 864 coaching victories in the NBA. ‘He’s poised, calm and patient, always under control, accepting the good and the bad equally.'” – NBA.com

• “Lenny is receptive. Some coaches want to dictate totally and can’t accept any help from outside. Lenny is very secure in his position and I don’t think he feels threatened by any suggestions to help the situation.” – Paul Silas, Sonics player 1977-80

The Man Beyond The Numbers

Brian Robinson made this important observation in a 2019 profile. “You cannot appreciate the true greatness of Lenny Wilkens without considering the impact he has made outside of basketball. For starters, Wilkens is a respected businessman who has served on corporate boards including Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the Institute of Human Virology. Over a span of 27 years his foundation has raised more than $10 million for charities including the Odessa Brown Clinic.”

(You can find several ways to donate to the Clinic here.)

Brian was kind enough to share the transcript of his interview with Wilkens, where the coach revealed more about his priorities. “I’ve been able to do a lot of things, but family is always number one. The best is having family that supports you. My wife has done that, my kids have done that, and we never brought basketball home to them.

“I was taught very early about giving back and being involved in the community. When I was in St. Louis, I was with a group that worked with high school dropouts, and then I went to another group, Shoes for Kids. When I saw how the (Odessa Brown) clinic treated young people and what they were doing for them, I was very impressed, and I decided to make it my charity. So I’ve always seen the effect it had on young people by being involved in their lives.”

Clearly, Wilkens is more than deserving of whatever this newest tribute will be. Which – sorry, folks – won’t be revealed until later this week.

Well, there is one more thing that Lenny Wilkens would really like – a new Seattle NBA expansion team to cheer for. *Hint* *Hint*. NBA, you listening? Don’t worry about gift-wrapping it. Lenny will take it as-is.