Lenny Wilkens

Lenny Wilkens is the rare player whose coaching career overshadowed an outstanding playing career. He won 1,332 games as a head coach — the second most in NBA history — but before that, he was a nine-time All-Star point guard who averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 assists per game across 15 seasons. His 1971 season as a player-coach in Seattle, averaging 22.4 points and 9.6 assists, showed he could dominate while simultaneously running a team from the sideline.

Wilkens's playing style was cerebral and efficient. He wasn't flashy, but his ability to control tempo, find open teammates, and score when needed made him one of the most reliable point guards of the 1960s and 1970s. He led the league in assists in 1970 and his 7,211 career assists placed him among the all-time leaders when he retired.

As a Black player-coach in the early 1970s, Wilkens broke barriers with a quiet dignity that earned him universal respect. His dual legacy — Hall of Famer as both player and coach — is shared by only a handful of individuals in basketball history, and his influence on the game extends across six decades of professional basketball.