Lenny Wilkens is one of the few enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach. What made Wilkens a special coach? ESPN noted, "Wilkens is the all-time coaching wins leader without ever coaching a Hall of Fame player in his prime or at his best."
A two-time All-American at Providence College, Wilkens coached the Seattle Supersonics to an NBA Championship in 1979, was an assistant coach for the US Olympic Dream Team I and head coach for the Olympic Dream Team 2.
Four men are in the Hall of Fame as both players and coaches, John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Lenny Wilkens, and Tom Heinsohn. Wilkens also has membership for his participation on the Dream Team.
Coaching Philosophy/Style:
Wilkens preached team basketball. He had to. Another ESPN quote, "His Seattle champions were the most starless in NBA history. In fact, when they went to the Finals in 1978, it was without a player on the All-Star team that season."
He cultivated the Socratic Method, "what is your responsibility?" Craig Ehlo said of Wilkens, "It's the person who he is, the standards he sets--the values, the morals, the way you conduct yourself."
Some say he was a "coach's coach," and he authored the Wilkens Legacy Basketball Clinic Series. He preached simplicity and clarity.
Lenny Wilkens Quotes:
"If you can't go through it, find a way around it. Don't spend all your time banging your head."
"The most important quality I look for in a player is accountability. You've got to be accountable for who you are. It's too easy to blame things on someone else."
"Show people how to have success and then you can push their expectations up."
"I let them know that I believe that they can succeed, and I'm going to be there to help them."
“If you want it, you've got to give it.”
Coaching Notes:
The indefatigable Wes Kosel shares some Wilkens plays. We see these types of actions today...
Eric Musselman shared some great thoughts:
Lenny Wilkens: "If you help people to be better, to accomplish something, to succeed at something, then I think you see some success, and that's not easy to do."
Video:
About Jackie Robinson, "He was a man on the field and off the field."
"My family has always been a part of every decision I've made."
History matters.