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 1993-94 season, Lenny Wilkens was named NBA Coach of the Year after guiding the Atlanta Hawks to a 57-25 record and the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. He was also selected as head coach of the East in the 1994 All-Star Game held in Minneapolis. The East won 127-118 and Scottie Pippen won MVP honors. Presented here is Wilkens’ 1994 NBA All-Star ring, the last of four he was issued. Made by Balfour of Celestrium, the size 12 ring features a rectangular, ruby-colored stone with a silver basketball on top, along with "NBA" and "ALL-STAR" in raised letters top and below. The Minnesota All-Star Game logo and "1994" 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 its original wooden presentation box (EX-MT with a gouge on the outside) with an attractive carved design of the '94 All-Star Game logo. Includes LOA from Wilkens.