| |
| No. 32, 15, 14, 19, 17 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Point Guard |
| League: | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Full name: | Leonard Randolph Wilkens |
| Born: | October 28, 1937 Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality: |  American
|
| Physical stats | |
| Listed height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight: | 180 lbs (82 kg) |
| National Basketball Association career | |
| Debut: 1960 for the St. Louis Hawks | |
| Final season: 1975 for the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Boys (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College: | Providence (1957–1960) |
| NBA Draft: | 1960 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall |
| Selected by the St. Louis Hawks | |
| Playing career: | 1960–1975 (15 years) |
| Coaching career: | 1969–2005 (36 years) |
| Best Record: | 57–25 (.695) (1988–89, 1991–92, 1993–94) |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1960–1968 | St. Louis Hawks |
| 1968–1972 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1972–1974 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1974–1975 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| As coach: | |
| 1969–1972 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1974–1976 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 1977–1985 | Seattle SuperSonics |
| 1986–1993 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1993–2000 | Atlanta Hawks |
| 2000–2003 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2004–2005 | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
| |
As coach:
| |
| NBA career playing statistics | |
| Points: | 17,772 (16.5 PPG) |
| Rebounds: | 5,030 (4.7 RPG) |
| Assists: | 7,211 (6.7 APG) |
| Steals: | 174 (1.3 SPG) |
| Blocks: | 26 (0.2 BPG) |
| Stats at NBA.com Stats at Basketball–Reference.com | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA: | 1332–1155 (.536) |
| Basketball Hall of Fame (as player) (inducted in 1989) | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame (as coach) (inducted in 1998) | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2006) | |
| Medals | |
| Men's basketball | |
| Head coach for the United States
| |
| Representing the United States | |
| Olympic Games | |
 Gold
|
1996 Atlanta |
| Medals | |
| Men's basketball | |
| Assistant coach for the United States
| |
| Representing the United States | |
| Olympic Games | |
| Gold
|
1992 Barcelona |
Leonard Randolph "Lenny" Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (as player, coach and as the 1992 United States Olympic "Dream Team" assistant coach) and also is a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Early life[]
Wilkens grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. His father was African American and his mother was Irish American. Wilkens was raised in the Catholic faith.
At Boys High School, Wilkens was a basketball teammate of longtime Major League Baseball star Tommy Davis, and played for coach Mickey Fisher.
NBA career[]
Wilkens was drafted sixth overall by the St. Louis Hawks in the 1960 NBA Draft. He began his career with eight seasons with the St. Louis Hawks, who lost the finals to the Boston Celtics in his rookie season.
Wilkens was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Walt Hazzard and spent four seasons there. He was an All-Star in three of his seasons with the team and was named the 1971 NBA All-Star Game MVP. In the 1969–70 season he led the league in assists, being the then second most behind Oscar Robertson. He was named head coach in his second season with the team. Although the SuperSonics did not reach the playoffs while Wilkens simultaneously coached and started at point guard, their record improved each season.
Wilkens spent two seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one with the Portland Trail Blazers, ending his career there.
Coaching career[]
Wilkens coached Seattle from 1969 to 1972, and in his one season as a player in the 1974-75 season with Portland, as player-coach. After his retirement from playing in 1975 he was the full-time coach of the Trail Blazers for one more season. After a season off from coaching, he again became a coach for the SuperSonics when he replaced Bob Hopkins who was fired 22 games into the 1977–78 season after a dismal 5–17 start. The SuperSonics won eleven consecutive of twelve games under Wilkens and made the playoffs in two consecutive seasons, losing in seven games to the Washington Bullets in the 1978 NBA Finals. The SuperSonics returned to the NBA Finals in 1979, defeating the Washington Bullets in five games to achieve their first and only NBA title.
He went on to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers from 1986 to 1993, Atlanta Hawks from 1993 to 2000, Toronto Raptors from 2000 to 2003 and New York Knicks from 2004 to 2005.
Later years[]
On November 29, 2006, he was hired as vice chairman of the Seattle SuperSonics' ownership group, and was later named the Sonics' President of Basketball Operations on April 27, 2007. On July 6, 2007, Wilkens resigned from the Sonics organization.
Wilkens later worked at Northwest FSN Studio as a college basketball analyst and occasionally appears on College Hoops Northwest at game nights.
NBA career statistics[]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| * | Led the league | ||||
Regular season[]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960–61 | St. Louis | 74 | — | 25.3 | .425 | — | .713 | 4.5 | 2.8 | — | — | 11.7 |
| 1961–62 | St. Louis | 20 | — | 43.5 | .385 | — | .764 | 6.6 | 5.8 | — | — | 18.2 |
| 1962–63 | St. Louis | 75 | — | 34.3 | .399 | — | .696 | 5.4 | 5.1 | — | — | 11.8 |
| 1963–64 | St. Louis | 78 | — | 32.4 | .413 | — | .740 | 4.3 | 4.6 | — | — | 12.0 |
| 1964–65 | St. Louis | 78 | — | 36.6 | .414 | — | .746 | 4.7 | 5.5 | — | — | 16.5 |
| 1965–66 | St. Louis | 69 | — | 39.0 | .431 | — | .793 | 4.7 | 6.2 | — | — | 18.0 |
| 1966–67 | St. Louis | 78 | — | 38.1 | .432 | — | .787 | 5.3 | 5.7 | — | — | 17.4 |
| 1967–68 | St. Louis | 82 | — | 38.6 | .438 | — | .768 | 5.3 | 8.3 | — | — | 20.0 |
| 1968–69 | Seattle | 82 | — | 42.2 | .440 | — | .770 | 6.2 | 8.2 | — | — | 22.4 |
| 1969–70 | Seattle | 75 | — | 37.4 | .420 | — | .788 | 5.0 | 9.1* | — | — | 17.8 |
| 1970–71 | Seattle | 71 | — | 37.2 | .419 | — | .803 | 4.5 | 9.2 | — | — | 19.8 |
| 1971–72 | Seattle | 80 | — | 37.4 | .466 | — | .774 | 4.2 | 9.6 | — | — | 18.0 |
| 1972–73 | Cleveland | 75 | — | 39.6 | .449 | — | .828 | 4.6 | 8.4 | — | — | 20.5 |
| 1973–74 | Cleveland | 74 | — | 33.6 | .465 | — | .801 | 3.7 | 7.1 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 16.4 |
| 1974–75 | Portland | 65 | — | 17.9 | .439 | — | .768 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 6.5 |
| Career | 1,077 | — | 35.3 | .432 | — | .774 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 16.5 | |
| All–Star | 9 | 3 | 20.2 | .400 | — | .781 | 2.4 | 2.9 | — | — | 9.4 | |
Playoffs[]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | St. Louis | 12 | — | 36.4 | .380 | — | .759 | 6.0 | 3.5 | — | — | 14.2 |
| 1963 | St. Louis | 11 | — | 36.4 | .370 | — | .755 | 6.3 | 6.3 | — | — | 13.7 |
| 1964 | St. Louis | 12 | — | 34.4 | .448 | — | .759 | 5.0 | 5.3 | — | — | 14.3 |
| 1965 | St. Louis | 4 | — | 36.8 | .351 | — | .828 | 3.0 | 3.8 | — | — | 16.0 |
| 1966 | St. Louis | 10 | — | 39.1 | .399 | — | .687 | 5.4 | 7.0 | — | — | 17.1 |
| 1967 | St. Louis | 9 | — | 42.0 | .400 | — | .856 | 7.6 | 7.2 | — | — | 21.4 |
| 1968 | St. Louis | 6 | — | 39.5 | .440 | — | .750 | 6.3 | 7.8 | — | — | 16.1 |
| Career | 64 | — | 37.5 | .399 | — | .769 | 5.8 | 5.8 | — | — | 16.1 | |
Head coaching record[]
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 1969–70 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 5th in Western | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Seattle | 1970–71 | 82 | 38 | 44 | .463 | 4th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Seattle | 1971–72 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 3rd in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Portland | 1974–75 | 82 | 38 | 44 | .463 | 3rd in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Portland | 1975–76 | 82 | 37 | 45 | .451 | 5th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Seattle | 1977–78 | 60 | 42 | 18 | .700 | 3rd in Pacific | 22 | 13 | 9 | .591 | Lost in NBA Finals |
| Seattle | 1978–79 | 82 | 52 | 30 | .634 | 1st in Pacific | 17 | 12 | 5 | .706 | Won NBA Championship |
| Seattle | 1979–80 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2nd in Pacific | 15 | 7 | 8 | .467 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| Seattle | 1980–81 | 82 | 34 | 48 | .415 | 6th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Seattle | 1981–82 | 82 | 52 | 30 | .634 | 2nd in Pacific | 8 | 3 | 5 | .375 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| Seattle | 1982–83 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 3rd in Pacific | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in First Round |
| Seattle | 1983–84 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 3rd in Pacific | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First Round |
| Seattle | 1984–85 | 82 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 5th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1986–87 | 82 | 31 | 51 | .378 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1987–88 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 4th in Central | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First Round |
| Cleveland | 1988–89 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2nd in Central | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First Round |
| Cleveland | 1989–90 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 4th in Central | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First Round |
| Cleveland | 1990–91 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 6th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1991–92 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 2nd in Central | 17 | 9 | 8 | .529 | Lost in Conference Finals |
| Cleveland | 1992–93 | 82 | 54 | 28 | .659 | 2nd in Central | 9 | 3 | 6 | .333 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| Atlanta | 1993–94 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st in Central | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| Atlanta | 1994–95 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 5th in Central | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost in First Round |
| Atlanta | 1995–96 | 82 | 46 | 36 | .561 | 4th in Central | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| Atlanta | 1996–97 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2nd in Central | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| Atlanta | 1997–98 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4th in Central | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost in First Round |
| Atlanta | 1998–99 | 50 | 31 | 19 | .620 | 2nd in Central | 9 | 3 | 6 | .333 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| Atlanta | 1999–2000 | 82 | 28 | 54 | .341 | 7th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Toronto | 2000–01 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 2nd in Central | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | Lost in Conference Semifinals |
| Toronto | 2001–02 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 3rd in Central | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First Round |
| Toronto | 2002–03 | 82 | 24 | 58 | .293 | 7th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| New York | 2003–04 | 42 | 23 | 19 | .538 | 3rd in Atlantic | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost in First Round |
| New York | 2004–05 | 39 | 17 | 22 | .436 | (resigned) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | 2,487 | 1,332 | 1,155 | .536 | 178 | 80 | 98 | .449 |