The first coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, John Kundla, has passed away on Sunday at the age of 101. He is survived by his family members, including his son, Tom, who confirmed his death.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss gave a statement, via Ron Clements of Sporting News, where she expressed her sadness over losing an all-time great coach. She then offered her condolences to the whole Kudla family.
“On behalf of the entire Lakers organization, I’d like to express our sadness at the passing of John Kundla,” Lakers president and co-owner Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “John played an important role in the history of the Lakers organization.”
“Not only was he a Hall of Fame coach, he was our first head coach and led the organization to five NBA championships. In addition to his numerous contributions to the Lakers and our legacy, John was a wonderful man and will be remembered fondly. Our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the Kundla family.”
The former college and professional basketball coach was a five-time NBA champion and was inducted to the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1995. He is credited for starting the winning culture of the franchise, and was able to coach some great players, including George Mikan.
Basketball ran through three generations and counting in his family, as his granddaughter, Rebeka Dahlman, is the all-time leading scorer in Minnesota high school history, and played for Vanderbilt in college. Two of his grandsons also played in the NCAA as Isaiah and Noah Dahlman represented Michigan State and Wofford, respectively.
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