Former NBA Guard, Hall of Fame Coach, Dies at 79

· Yahoo Sports

Rick Adelman, the Hall of Fame coach who oversaw more than 1,000 NBA victories and helped define some of the league’s most entertaining offensive schemes, died on Monday, June 1. He was 79.

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Adelman coached in the NBA for 29 years, serving as a head coach for 23 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

“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 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.”

“His leadership helped establish a culture that continues to resonate throughout our organization today,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts are with Mary Kay, his family, friends, former players, and all who loved him.”

PHOENIX, AZ – APRIL 29: Sacramento Kings’ coach Rick Adelman (L) gives a pointer to guard Jason Williams (R) during game three of the Western Conference playoff series 29 April 2001 at the America West Arena in Phoenix. (DARRYL WEBB/AFP via Getty Images)

Adelman’s 1,042 victories as a head coach rank 10th all-time in NBA/ABA history. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

For many fans, Adelman will be remembered most for the teams he built in Portland and Sacramento.

After beginning his coaching career as an assistant with the Trail Blazers, Adelman took over as head coach during the 1988-89 season. Led by Clyde Drexler, Portland reached the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. Those teams won with talent, but also with an offensive style that reflected Adelman’s personality: unselfish, adaptable and built on trust.

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Hired in 1998 following a brief stint with the Golden State Warriors, Adelman transformed a struggling Kings franchise into a perennial contender. Sacramento reached the playoffs in each of his eight seasons and won 395 games under his leadership — more than any coach in franchise history.

The early-2000s Kings became one of the NBA’s most entertaining teams. Chris Webber, Vlade Divać, Peja Stojaković, Mike Bibby and Doug Christie pushed a fast-moving, pass-heavy style that helped shape modern NBA offense. The 2001-02 team came within one victory of reaching the NBA Finals before losing a seven-game Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Adelman never won an NBA championship, but his reputation among players, coaches and executives carried him into the Hall of Fame. He was credited with empowering players to run a free-wheeling offense that emphasized movement, spacing and decision-making before they became league-wide standards.

“He was a great person. A great human being,” former Kings center Brad Miller told KCRA in Sacramento. “His philosophy on basketball changed the whole future of basketball. He was one of those milestones, like, they’ll talk about Adelman’s offense forever. Getting to play for him, obviously he expanded my role, gave me an opportunity do more than what I had been doing before I got to Sacramento with him.

“He was a life-changer for a lot of people.”

Before coaching, Adelman played seven NBA seasons after being selected by the San Diego Rockets in the 1968 NBA Draft. He averaged 7.7 points and 3.5 assists in 22.6 minutes for the Rockets, Trail Blazers, Bulls, Jazz and Kings.

Adelman is survived by six children, 12 grandchildren, and his wife Mary Kay.

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