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Lenny Wilkens, one of the winningest coaches in NBA history and a two-time Basketball Hall-of-Famer, has died at the age of 88.
Wilkens passed away peacefully at his home in Washington state on Sunday, according to his family.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Wilkens was a star player at Providence College before a playing career with the St. Louis Hawks, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers.
Wilkens would then embark on a coaching career that spanned from 1969-2005 - winning the 1979 NBA title with the Sonics.
He still stands third on the all-time wins list by a coach - behind only Don Nelson and Gregg Popovich.
Wilkens is also the longest-tenured coach in the history of the NBA - with 2,487 games on a bench - the most of anyone in the league.
Born in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, Wilkens graduated from Boys High School in the same borough.
After a strong playing career for the Providence Friars, he was drafted sixth overall by the Hawks - who played in St. Louis at the time.
Wilkens spent the majority of his playing career in Seattle - being traded for Walt Hazzard before the 1968 season.
After four years with the SuperSonics, he'd play only three more seasons in the NBA - two with the Cavaliers and one with the Trail Blazers.
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