Rick Adelman died on Monday at the age of 79. The longtime NBA coach finished his career with more than 1,000 wins and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Adelman spent 23 seasons as a head coach across five teams. He took the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, built strong teams in Sacramento during the early 2000s, and later coached the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Players who played for him, including Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, posted tributes online remembering his calm approach and ability to connect with his teams. Doug Christie, a former Kings player, also spoke about Adelman on a radio show Tuesday morning.
Adelman’s teams won more than 50 games 11 times in his career. He was known for steady, team first basketball that lasted through more than two decades in the league.