Rick Adelman has died. The Hall of Fame coach, who won more than 1,000 NBA games and led the Portland Trail Blazers to the Finals twice, passed away at the age of 79.
The NBA mourns the loss of one of its most successful coaches. Rick Adelman has passed away at the age of 79, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced on Monday. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Adelman won a total of 1,042 games during his NBA career as a head coach, placing him tenth on the all-time list. The Hall of Fame coach led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 and later also worked for the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Golden State Warriors.
“Adelman will be remembered not only as a coach and player, but also as a mentor to so many people in the basketball world,” the Coaches Association said in a statement. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised him as “a brilliant strategist and teacher of the game, as well as an even better person.”
Two trips to the Finals, cult status in Sacramento
In addition to his time in Portland, Adelman’s era in Sacramento was particularly influential. Under his leadership, the Kings developed into one of the league’s most attractive teams in the early 2000s. With players like Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, and Mike Bibby, Sacramento posted a winning record in each of his eight seasons. His time with the Rockets also left its mark. In 2008, Adelman led Houston to a 22-game winning streak, the fourth-longest in NBA history.
Before his coaching career, Adelman played in the NBA himself for seven years between 1969 and 1975. He then began his coaching career at the college level before making the leap to the NBA via the Trail Blazers. In total, he coached 210 players who went on to play in at least one NBA game. Most recently, in 2023, Adelman received the Coaches Association’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. He is survived by his family, including his son David Adelman, who currently serves as head coach of the Denver Nuggets.