Lenny Wilkens was honored with a statue four months ago in Seattle, outside Climate Pledge Arena, the ultimate salute to basketball greatness, in a ceremony that drew hundreds. The hunk of bronze showed Wilkens with the basketball in his right hand — unusual, since he was a lefty who always dribbled in that direction — and was the first hoop monument of any kind in the city that once housed the SuperSonics.

Well: In the words of a confused Shaquille O’Neal, who once approached Wilkens many years ago and asked: “Coach, you played?”

That’s the essence of Wilkens, the dual role which puts him on an island. Yes, he played, well enough to get named to all of the NBA’s anniversary teams. And yes, he coached, well enough to win a championship and compile the most victories in NBA history (1,332

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