The National Basketball Coaches Association confirmed on Monday the passing of Rick Adelman, a veteran NBA coach and Hall of Fame inductee.
He was 79 years old; details surrounding his death have not yet been disclosed.
“Rick Adelman stood out as one of the NBA’s most esteemed and successful coaches ever,” Commissioner Adam Silver commented in a public statement. “After his playing tenure in the NBA, Rick transitioned to coaching, where his guidance, creativity, and authentic passion for basketball made a profound impact on multiple generations of athletes and coaching colleagues during his nearly three-decade career. He was an exceptional tactician and instructor of the sport, and an even finer individual.”
“My heartfelt sympathies go out to Rick’s family and his numerous acquaintances across the league.”
Adelman participated in the league for seven years as a player prior to moving into a coaching role. He commenced his professional journey with the San Diego Rockets in 1968, subsequently achieving an average of 7.7 points and 3.5 assists per game across his seven seasons with various clubs before concluding his playing career after the 1974-75 season.
In 1983, Adelman became an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers, remaining with the franchise for the subsequent ten years. Following six years in that assistant capacity, Adelman assumed his initial head coaching position in the league in 1988. He guided the Trail Blazers to two NBA Finals series; the first in 1990 alongside Clyde Drexler, where they were defeated by the Detroit Pistons. They reached the finals again two years later, only to be overcome by the Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan.
Subsequent to his departure from the Trail Blazers, Adelman served for two seasons with the Golden State Warriors before securing the head coaching role with the Sacramento Kings, which became his most extended coaching period in the NBA. Adelman spent eight campaigns with the Kings, guiding them to the playoffs each year, a feat that represented the franchise’s most consistent period of achievement since their move to California. They advanced to the Western Conference finals once during his tenure. Remarkably, the Kings have participated in the postseason only once since Adelman concluded his time with them after the 2005-06 season.
“The Sacramento Kings express profound sorrow regarding the demise of their former Head Coach, Rick Adelman,” the franchise declared in a statement. “Coach Adelman personified the pinnacle of Sacramento basketball, and he will be revered for how he motivated others—through modesty, honesty, benevolence, and an unyielding conviction in collaborative effort.”
Adelman subsequently coached for an additional seven seasons in the league, dividing his time between the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves, before definitively retiring in 2014. Overall, his coaching career concluded with a 1,042-749 win-loss tally. He holds the 10th position on the league’s historical wins chart, distinguishing himself as one of only 11 coaches in NBA history to achieve more than 1,000 victories.
Adelman received his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2021. Additionally, the NBCA honored him with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Adelman and his wife, Mary Kay, were parents to six children. Their son, David, currently serves as the head coach for the Denver Nuggets.
