NBA Update: Basketball Legend Lenny Wilkens wins Chuck Daily lifetime achievement award
All time basketball great and a three time Hall-of-Famer, Lenny Wilkens has been awarded this year’s Chuck Daily lifetime achievement award.
The “Chuck Daily lifetime achievement award” is an annual award, which is handed out by the National Basketball Coaches Association. The award honours the best in the NBA coaching fraternity and it is named after the legendary
coach Chuck Daily. This year’s recipient of the award is Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens is a basketball legend with perhaps no peer. The storied coach and player, has been inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame on three separate occasions.
The first of those came in 1989 when Wilkens was inducted as a player. In his day Lenny Wilkens was a player of great stature, a fact borne out by his inclusion into the top 50 NBA players. Wilkens then proceeded to have a tremendously
successful coaching career.
He coached many different teams in the NBA playoffs. His team oriented approach and hard work turned above average squads into title contenders. He led the Seattle Super Sonics, who have since relocated to Oklahoma as the Oklahoma
City Thunder, to the only NBA World Championship in their history back in 1979.
Throughout his coaching career, Wilkens was respected for his work and in 1998 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach. The induction made Lenny one of only three players who had been given the honour as a player as well
as a coach. Lenny Wilkens was assistant coach of the first Olympic Gold Medal winning Dream Team of the USA and head coach on the Dream Team II in 1996. He was therefore inducted into the Hall of Fame again in 2001 as a member of the Dream Team, making Lenny
Wilkens the only person in history to be inducted thrice.
Now another award has come his way and Lenny Wilkens was thankful for the privilege to receive the Chuck Daily lifetime achievement award.
"I'm deeply grateful to my NBA peers for honouring me with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award," said Wilkens. "Chuck was a great coach, but more important a great friend and I'm thrilled to accept this award."
Lenny Wilkens has helped players and coaches alike in his long career. He co-produced an instructional DVD, the purpose of which was to help players get better at their game and also give guidance to young coaches around the world.
On the announcement of the award Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks head coach and National Basketball Coaches Association President, a post Lenny held for an unprecedented 17 years, paid his tribute:
"Lenny Wilkens is a true leader, an example and mentor to all of us who coach the game. He's also a fine gentleman and a true NBA 'treasure.'"
Tags: