LeBron James’ first NBA head coach, Paul Silas passes away at age 79
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Paul Silas was an unsung hero in the NBA during the 60s until 1980. This was when the Boston Celtics were consistently winning championship with Bill Russell and luckily enough, Silas helped bag two valuable additions to the trophy case. Unfortunately, the legend met his tragic end earlier today. He was 79 years of age.
He was an incredibly talented rebounder of the ball and someone who loved mentoring people. This is why he was quick to turn to a coaching job as soon as he retired in 1980. He famously coached the San Diego Clippers, Charlotte Bobcats, New Orleans Hornets and the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2005.
Yes, Paul Silas was the first NBA coach of LeBron James. The King couldn’t have started off his career any better than this. At the end of the day, Silas played a major role in the NBA. He managed to cop himself three titles along with a couple of All-NBA and All-Star selections. He last coached the Charlotte Bobcats in 2012. His son also happens to be the current head coach of the Houston Rockets.
When Paul Silas supported LeBron James’ exit from the Cleveland Cavalier
Between 2003 and 2005, Paul Silas had a fairly decent run and had good playoff runs as well. Before getting sacked by the Cavs, Silas already managed to get the team to a safe spot in the Eastern Conference, the fifth seed. LeBron himself was thriving, and it seemed like he was soon going to make a title run.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and the King began to lose patience with the Cavaliers. During free agency, he decided to sign with the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade. The method used to announce his departure from the team infuriated Ohio natives. But Paul Silas thought it was only right of him to have done it the way he did.
According to the NBC Sports, Silas spoke about the extremely publicized announcement. He said, “I’ve been on buses where the general manager gets on the bus and tells a player he’s traded. They don’t (tell) him know ahead of time. Why should (LeBron James) let people know? He did what he wanted to do and he had that right. He gave the Cavaliers seven great years.” Silas coached in Charlotte at that time.
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Rakibul John Rodgers
(1258 Articles Published)