Steve Kerr Leads Homage to The Great Lenny Wilkens After He Passed Away at 88

Lenny Wilkens was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame thrice, as a player, as a coach, and as part of the Dream Team.

Steve Kerr Leads Homage to The Great Lenny Wilkens After He Passed Away at 88

Lenny Wilkens and Warriors HC Steve Kerr (Image via FirstSportz)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Whenever Steve Kerr decides to walk away from the NBA, he will become a Hall of Famer as a head coach. Once he wears the yellow jacket, he will join the likes of the great Lenny Wilkens.

Kerr and Wilkens have some similarities. Both were guards of similar height, and both played in the NBA for at least 15 seasons. Then both went on to coach teams to NBA championships.

The difference was that Kerr won 5 titles as a player. However, he was a role player, assisting the likes of the great Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan. Wilkens, on the other hand, was a star in his own right.

He may not have won a title as a player, but his 9 All-Star selections, along with his single-season assist leader award, ensured the New York native entered the Hall of Fame as a player.

His affinity toward coaching was evident when he was a player, as the Seattle SuperSonics gave him the job when he was in his second year with the team. It was in his second stint with the franchise, this time as a full-time head coach, when he led them to their only title to date.

He was an unbelievable man. Just an incredible man… What I remember most is just the dignity. You know, he was just such a dignified human being and great leader through kind of this quiet confidence.

Steve Kerr said to reporters

This was the Warriors’ head coach talking about Lenny Wilkens after reporters broke the news to Steve Kerr that the great player and coach had passed away at age 88.

NBA coach honors Seattle legend Lenny Wilkens

For three seasons, Steve Kerr played under Lenny Wilkens at the Cleveland Cavaliers. That is where he knew the late coach firsthand and understood a lot about his character.

To the rest of the NBA, the great point guard was known for bringing glory to Seattle. The city has quite a few major sports franchises. However, it was Wilkens who gave its residents their first taste of a championship win.

Since then, the WNBA’s Seattle Storm have won 4 at the hands of Sue Bird, and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks famously won their only Lombardi Trophy to date, at the hands of Marshawn Lynch and the Legion of Boom.

Just want to send out a lot of love to Lenny Wilkens and his family. A kid from Seattle, ’79 championship. Lenny probably does not even know that without him, I’m not here.

Doug Christie said to reporters

Sacramento Kings head coach and former player Doug Christie added that the late head coach gave the city of Seattle something to hold on to for eternity. That is the reason there is a statue of him outside Climate Pledge Arena.

Seattle ensured Lenny Wilkens gets a statue as a basketball player

The Seattle SuperSonics franchise effectively dissolved when the new ownership group decided to relocate to Oklahoma City. That meant the franchise was no longer a part of the NBA.

Lenny Wilkens' statue was unveiled earlier this year
Lenny Wilkens’ statue was unveiled earlier this year (Image via Clayton News/X)

Their history is shared with Seattle, and would stay that way if and when the city received another NBA franchise. When Steve Ballmer bought the Los Angeles Clippers, many felt he would relocate the team to Seattle.

However, that did not happen, and the search for a prospective expansion franchise continues. The city, however, along with the Seattle Storm, ensured Lenny Wilkens was commemorated with a statue outside Climate Pledge Arena.

The day was June 28th, and the city also labeled the day as Lenny Wilkens Day. The timing was perfect, as a couple of months later, the Storm unveiled the statue of another Seattle legend, Sue Bird.

Also Read: