They say point guards make great coaches, and Lenny Wilkens was a prime example. The New York native molded his cerebral skill set on the Brooklyn playgrounds before becoming an All-American at Providence College and an early first round draft pick by the St. Louis Hawks in 1960. The 9-time All-Star finished 2nd to Wilt Chamberlain in the 1968 MVP voting and later became a player-coach in Seattle before transitioning full-time to the sidelines. Wilkens would guide the SuperSonics to back-to-back Finals appearances, including the franchise’s only NBA title in 1979. From 1969 to 2005, he coached an NBA-record 2,487 games (plus four All-Star Games) with six teams – the Blazers, Sonics, Cavs, Hawks, Raptors and Knicks, in that order – and sits second all-time in wins with 1,332 (just three behind Don Nelson). He was voted to the NBA’s Top 10 Coaches in History list in 1996, but only Wilkens was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame three separate times: as a player, coach, and member of the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team.”
For the 1988-89 season, Lenny Wilkens was named head coach of the Eastern Conference in the 1989 All-Star Game held in Houston. He guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 57-25 record that year and a memorable first round exit in the playoffs thanks to MJ's "The Shot." The West won 143-134 and Karl Malone won MVP honors. Presented here is Wilkens’ 1989 NBA All-Star ring made by Balfour. The size 11 1/4 ring features a rectangular, sapphire-colored stone with a silver basketball on top, along with "NBA" and "ALL-STAR" in raised letters top and below. The Houston All-Star Game logo and "1989" appear on one shank, with “WILKENS” and a colorful NBA logo on the other. The interior band is hallmarked “LGB” with the Celestrium symbol. Comes in NM-MT/MINT condition. Includes LOA from Wilkens.