Last Updated on September 11, 2024 by Mathew Diekhake

Here is a detailed overview of Lenny Wilkens, a legendary basketball player and coach:

  • Full Name: Leonard Randolph Wilkens
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born: October 28, 1937
  • Hometown: Brooklyn, New York, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters)
  • Weight: 180 pounds (82 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 2 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 12 (US)
  • Jersey Number: Wore 19 and 14 during his NBA career.
  • Position: Point Guard
  • High School: Boys High School in Brooklyn, New York.
  • College: Providence College (1957–1960)
  • NBA Draft:
  • 1960 NBA Draft
    • 1st Round, 6th Overall Pick by the St. Louis Hawks
  • Teams Played For:
    1. St. Louis Hawks (1960–1968)
    2. Seattle SuperSonics (1968–1972)
    3. Cleveland Cavaliers (1972–1974)
    4. Portland Trail Blazers (1974–1975)
  • Accolades:
    • Championship Rings:
      • 1 NBA Championship ring as a head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979.
    • 9-time NBA All-Star (1963–1971)
    • NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1971
    • Ranked as one of the top 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
    • Hall of Fame Inductions: Wilkens is one of the few individuals to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame three times: as a player (1989), a coach (1998), and as part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” (2010).
    • NBA Coach of the Year in 1994.
      • At the time of his retirement, Wilkens held the record for most coaching wins in NBA history (1,332), a record later broken.
  • Kids: He has one son, Randy Wilkens.
  • Siblings: Lenny Wilkens grew up in a large family with multiple siblings. However, detailed information on all of his siblings is not widely documented.

Lenny Wilkens’ NBA rookie season was in 1960-61. He played through all of the 60s until he retired as a player after the 1974-75 season. There were not many basketball shoes to choose from during the 60s, and Lenny likely wore Converse Chuck Taylor or Adidas Superstar shoes at least until 1973 when Nike came out with the Nike Blazer Mid Top in 1973. Most of the pictures from Lenny’s time are in black and white, so trying to track down all of the shoes he wore specifically won’t be easy, especially if you want to know the color.

Notes:

  • Lenny Wilkens is an NBA legend and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989 as a player. He was also a successful basketball coach after he retired from playing and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach in 1998.