Inside the Remarkable Legacy and Untold Stories of NBA Legend Lenny Wilkens, Who Passed Away at 88
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During his time in Cleveland and Atlanta, Wilkens won two Olympic gold medals, first as an assistant on Chuck Daly’s staff for the 1992 Dream Team in Barcelona and then as Team USA’s head coach in 1996.
Wilkens split his final five seasons as a coach between the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks, falling an errant Vince Carter Game 7 buzzer beater short of reaching the 2001 Eastern Conference finals in Toronto.
Only Gregg Popovich and Don Nelson have since surpassed the 1,332 wins Wilkens compiled as a coach from 1969-2005. Russell, Tommy Heinsohn and Bill Sharman join Wilkens as the sole people ever inducted to the Hall of Fame as both an NBA player and coach. Wilkens was the only person in the 2021-22 season named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary lists of 76 greatest players and 15 greatest coaches in league history.



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