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The basketball icon Lenny Wilkens was honored on Saturday by Seattle with the unveiling of a bronze statue outside Climate Pledge Arena, representing the first such tribute at the historic site. The 6-foot-tall, 700-pound statue, sculpted by Lou Cella, commemorates Wilkens not only as a player but as a pillar of the Seattle sports community. The Chicago-based artist previously created statues of Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Dave Niehaus, and Don James.
The Seattle Storm, who now play at Climate Pledge Arena, celebrated the occasion.
“Lenny Wilkens was an All-Star as a player, a champion as a coach, and is still a pillar of our Seattle sports community. Today, he was honored with a bronze statue outside Climate Pledge Arena. Congratulations, Lenny!” the franchise’s official X account shared.
Statues are built for legends — and Lenny Wilkens is legendary on every level:
Player, coach, mentor, and community hero 💚💛#LennyWilkensDay pic.twitter.com/3Buqn52cYA
— Seattle Supersonics (@SeattleSonics) June 28, 2025
Wilkens is a three-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, as a player (1989), a coach (1998), and an assistant coach for the 1992 USA “Dream Team” (2010). The 87-year-old played 15 NBA seasons, including four with the Seattle SuperSonics from 1968 to 1972, where he averaged 16.7 points and 6.5 assists per game. During his time with the Sonics, he scored 6,010 points and handed out 2,777 assists, earning three All-Star selections.
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Wilkens returned to Seattle as head coach, leading the SuperSonics for 11 seasons and compiling a 478-402 coaching record. Most notably, he guided the team to its only NBA championship during the 1978–79 season. He ranks third in all-time NBA coaching wins with 1,332, behind only Gregg Popovich and Don Nelson.
The ceremony featured appearances from Seattle basketball legends, including Spencer Haywood, Jack Sikma, Detlef Schrempf, Nate McMillan, and coach George Karl.
“Coach Wilkens is what Jerry West was to the Lakers, Bill Russell to the Celtics, and Michael Jordan to the Bulls,” said McMillan, who played for and later coached the Sonics.
The tribute also showed Wilkens’ off-court impact. Since founding the Lenny Wilkens Foundation in 1971, he has supported causes throughout Seattle, including long-standing partnerships with the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic. Former Washington Governors Bob Ferguson and Jay Inslee praised Wilkens for uplifting the community both in public and behind the scenes.
“He has uplifted this community in many ways,” Ferguson noted. “Please thank him just as much for all that hard work he’s done for our community.”
Wilkens will soon be joined outside the arena by Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird, whose statue will be unveiled on August 17.
