Long-time former NBA coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee Rick Adelman died Monday, June 1, the NBA Coaches Association (NBCA) announced. Adelman was 79.
Adelman coached 29 seasons in the NBA, with head coaching stops at the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Over that span, he compiled a 1,042-749 (.582) record and reached the postseason 16 times.
His 1,791 games coaches ranks 12th all-time, and his total for victories ranks 10th. Adelman led the Trail Blazers, who featured star players like Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter, to two NBA Finals appearances, in 1990 and 1992.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver extolled Adelman’s accomplishments and expressed his condolences in a stament issues Monday evening.
“Rick Adelman was one of the most respected and accomplished coaches in the history of the NBA. Following his NBA playing career, Rick turned to coaching where his leadership, innovation and genuine love for basketball left a lasting impression on generations of players and fellow coaches over his nearly 30-year run. He was a brilliant strategist and teacher of the game, and an even better person. I send my deepest condolences to Rick’s family and many friends throughout the league.”
TRIBUTES: NBA world pays tribute to late Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman
But Adelman might be most famously remembered as the successful coach of the Kings from 1998-2006.
“The Sacramento Kings organization is deeply saddened by the passing of Rick Adelman, a beloved coach whose leadership, character, and vision helped define an era of Kings basketball that inspired our city and captivated fans around the world,” the team said Monday in a statement.
“During his eight seasons in Sacramento, he led the team to unprecedented success and helped create some of the most memorable moments in franchise history. For an entire generation of Kings fans, Coach Adelman represented the very best of Sacramento basketball, and he will be remembered for the way he inspired those around him – with humility, integrity, kindness, and an unwavering belief in the power of teamwork.”
The father of current Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman, Rick also played seven seasons in the NBA for the San Diego Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Jazz and Kansas City-Omaha Kings.
As a player, Adelman averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, across 462 appearances.
Adelman was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021, and he received the NBCA Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
The Trail Blazers also paid tribute to their former player, assistant coach and head coach.
“Rick was one of the most influential figures in franchise history, a member of the inaugural 1970 team and integral coach throughout the 80s and 90s, guiding the team to Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992. Rick’s basketball brilliance helped shape multiple eras of Trail Blazers basketball, earning the respect and admiration of the basketball community and cementing his legacy.”
Known for empowering bigs to be more involved in the passing game, Adelman helped evolve NBA offenses to showcase off-ball movement. He also allowed his players to read defenses in real time and play off of each other based on the looks the opposition was giving.
His “corners” offense was an evolution of the Princeton offense and sought big men to anchor the offense from the top of the key, where wings could cut to the basket.
Adelman became most known for his success with the Kings, where he used big men Chris Webber and Vlade Divac to help create a free-flowing offense, with guards like Jason Williams, Peja Stojaković and Doug Christie providing highlight plays.
In the five seasons from 1998-2003, the Kings never finished lower than third in points per game and were first in pace in four of those seasons.
It’s a style Adelman’s son is keeping alive today with the Nuggets and three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokić.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rick Adelman dies. Former NBA coach led Kings, Trail Blazers, Warriors
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