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Cavs icon Lenny Wilkens, Hall of Fame coach, player who loved Richfield days, dies at 88

As the head coach of the Cavs from 1986-1993, when the team played at the old Richfield Coliseum, Wilkens lived in Fairlawn and went to church at St. Bernard Parish in downtown Akron. He cherished Cavs fans.

“I just thought that they were the best fans ever because Richfield Coliseum was in the snowbelt, and with all the snow we used to get, we still would pack that place,” Wilkens told the Beacon Journal in 2024. “I never got over that, the fact that the fans would come irregardless of the conditions. We used to always talk about that we had the best fans in the NBA at that time.”

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Lenny Wilkens works the sideline during an NBA game at the Richfield Coliseum, Dec. 17, 1988, in Richfield, Ohio.
Wilkens will be remembered fondly not only in Northeast Ohio but throughout the country. He died Sunday, Nov. 9, at the age of 88.

“Even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service — especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a release by the league. “He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammates or coach but an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.”

Few can match Wilkens' well-rounded hoops legacy. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1989, a coach in 1998 and an Olympian in 2010 because he served as an assistant with the 1992 Dream Team. He won gold medals in 1992 and 1996, when he was the head coach of Team USA.

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Lenny Wilkens takes questions during a news conference on March 13, 1991, in Richfield, Ohio, after renegotiating his contract to stay with the team.
From the late 1980s through the early 1990s, Wilkens and Hall of Fame general manager Wayne Embry combined to lead memorable Cavs teams featuring players such as Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance Sr., John “Hot Rod” Williams, Craig Ehlo and Ron Harper.

The Cavs qualified for the playoffs in five of Wilkens' seven seasons as coach. However, they never reached the NBA Finals and were knocked out by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls four times. Wilkens resigned in 1993.

Oct 5, 2018; Seattle, WA, USA; Former Seattle Supersonics head coach Lenny Wilkens holds the 1979 championship trophy during a third quarter timeout of a game between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
When Wilkens retired from coaching in 2005, he was the winningest and losingest coach in NBA history, going 1,332-1,155 in 32 regular seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Cavs, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks. In the playoffs, he went 80-98. He coached in the NBA All-Star Game four times.

Wilkens coached the Sonics to their only NBA title in 1979. He was named NBA Coach of the Year with the Hawks in 1994. He began his coaching career as a player-coach with the Sonics and Trail Blazers.

During the 1996-97 season, Wilkens was the only person included on the league’s all-time lists of top 50 players and top 10 coaches. During the 2021-22 season, he double-dipped by himself again on the top 75 players and top 15 coaches lists.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Wilkens didn't play high school hoops until his senior year. Still, he earned a scholarship to Providence College.

Drafted in the first round (No. 6 overall) by the St. Louis Hawks in 1960, the 6-foot-1 Wilkens played point guard for 15 NBA seasons. He averaged double figures in scoring in all but his final season, which he spent with the 1974-75 Trail Blazers after two seasons with the Cavs. He averaged 20-plus points in three seasons, one with the Hawks (20 in 1967-68), one with the Sonics (22.4 in 1968-69) and one with the Cavs (20.5 in 1972-73).

Before Lenny Wilkens coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hall of Fame point guard spent two seasons (1972-73 and 1973-74) with them late in his playing career.
In 1973, Wilkens was a member of the Cavs when he played the last of his nine All-Star Games. He was voted the Most Valuable Player of the 1971 All-Star Game. He ranked second on the NBA's all-time assists list with 7,211 when he retired as a player in 1975. He led the league in assists during two seasons (683 in 1969-70 and 766 in 1971-72, both with the Sonics). He had career averages of 16.5 points, 6.7 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

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Wilkens' adopted home became Seattle, where he was immortalized with a statue outside Climate Pledge Arena in 2025. He and his wife, Marilyn, were married for more than 60 years and had three children. The couple used the Lenny Wilkens Foundation to raise millions of dollars for the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle.

The Cavs honored Wilkens in 2022 with a spot on their Wall of Honor at Rocket Arena. In 1989, he became the first member of the organization to coach an NBA All-Star team. He holds the franchise record for most wins as a coach with 316 in the regular season.

And he never forgot what Cavs fans meant to him.

"They were behind the team," Wilkens said. "They rooted for the team. I mean, there was no question about it that they were loyal fans, and certainly we appreciated it."