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Former NBA player and head coach Paul Silas, seen here in 2012 Jim O'Connor-USA TODAY Sports

Three-time NBA champion and former coach Paul Silas dies at 79

By Sean Keane | Last updated 12/12/22

Paul Silas, who spent 38 years in the NBA as a player and coach, died this weekend at age 79.

Silas played 16 seasons with various teams, making his first All-Star team with the Phoenix Suns, winning two titles with the Boston Celtics, and a third with the 1979 Seattle Supersonics. He was an exceptional defensive player, making the All-Defensive Team five times, and one of the NBA's best offensive rebounders. He retired as the No. 10 player in defensive rating in NBA history, and No. 8 in playoff defensive rating.

But what set Silas apart, as both a player and a coach, was his tremendous leadership ability and smarts. In David Halberstam's "The Breaks Of The Game," Silas is described as "the best of NBA players, a triumph of intelligence and character over pure athletic s kill."

Silas was LeBron James' first NBA coach in Cleveland, and on Sunday, James called him "probably one of the greatest human beings I've ever been around."

"Probably one of the greatest human beings I've ever been around. The start of my journey in this league started with him."

LeBron to @LakersReporter on the passing of his first NBA head coach, Paul Silas:pic.twitter.com/z1dihakg6E
— Michael Corvo (@michaelcorvoNBA) December 12, 2022

Silas began his career with the St. Louis Hawks after setting rebounding records in college at Creighton. He developed into an All-Star after a trade to the Phoenix Suns, and then an NBA champion in 1974 and 1976 with the Boston Celtics. Red Auerbach traded Silas to the Denver Nuggets after Silas requested a three-year contract and petitioned for free agency, and the Cowens-Havlicek teams quickly collapsed. Silas ended up winning a third ring with Seattle in 1979 as a team leader, rebounder and enforcer off the bench.

He began his head-coaching career with the San Diego Clippers in 1980, but did his most extensive coaching for the Charlotte and then New Orleans Hornets, from 1999-2003, then returned to coach the new Charlotte Bobcats from 2010-12.

Charlotte owner Michael Jordan honored Silas in a statement, calling him "one of the all-time great people in our game."

Michael Jordan on the passing of Paul Silas pic.twitter.com/gBwD1QZ2tL
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 11, 2022

Outside of basketball, Silas used to sing with his cousins, the Pointer Sisters, when he was younger.

Rest in Peace to Paul Silas, a great guy and one of the best rebounders in NBA history. I interviewed him for @SLAMonline in 1998. Something I just learned reading his NYT obituary: he was first cousins with the Pointer Sisters and sang with them as a kid! https://t.co/RYEOjzYOns
— Alan Paul (@AlPaul) December 12, 2022

His legacy continues with his son Stephen Silas, who worked with him as an assistant for years before becoming the Houston Rockets' head coach in 2020.

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