Lenny Wilkens became the first person to have a statue unveiled outside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The six-foot, 700-pound statue celebrates his achievements, including leading the Seattle SuperSonics to their only NBA championship in 1979. As a player, Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star, averaging 16.7 points and 6.5 assists across 15 NBA seasons. He is also third in career wins by an NBA coach at 1,332. Initially, he struggled in high school basketball but was encouraged to pursue the sport more seriously and eventually earned a scholarship to Providence College.
"I only played a half-a-year of high school basketball at Boys High. I made the team as a freshman. I was the last man on a 15-man squad."
"Tommy really pushed me. I just didn't think I was good enough to play."
Wilkens led the Friars' freshman team to a perfect 23-0 record in 1956-57.
He is third in career wins by an NBA coach at 1,332, trailing only Gregg Popovich and Don Nelson.
Collection
[
|
...
]