Brooklyn-born Lenny Wilkens dies

In June, former NBA basketball player and coach Lenny Wilkens poses for a photo with his statue after its unveiling outside of Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Photo: Lindsey Wasson/AP

BROOKLYN — BROOKLYN-BORN BASKETBALL LEGEND LENNY WILKENS died on Sunday, Nov. 9 at age 88. He is remembered as a representation of “the very best of the NBA,” according to a statement from National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver. Born in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Oct. 28, 1937, young Wilkens lost his father when he was 5 years old. His Irish Catholic mother raised him and his four siblings, according to a New York Times obituary.

Wilkens, who was 6’1” by his college years, played basketball at Boys High and Providence College. He became a three-time NBA Hall of Famer as both a player and coach. He coached six teams over 32 seasons, including the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He transformed the Atlanta Hawks, leading them to a championship and earning him NBA Coach of the Year. He also led the U.S. Basketball “Dream Team” to win gold at two consecutive Olympics in 1992 and 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,” said Silver.

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