Basketball legend Paul Westphal received tributes online after dying Saturday at the age of 70 due to brain cancer.
Westphal was an All-Star player and NBA champion during his playing career, and he was also a highly successful head coach. He played from 1972 to 1984 and won a title with the Boston Celtics in 1974. Westphal also played for the Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics and New York Knicks.
As a coach, Westphal began his career at Southwestern Baptist Bible College, then moved to Grand Canyon University, and he became an assistant with the Phoenix Suns. Westphal took over as head coach of the Suns in 1992 and led them to the NBA Finals in his first season. He also had stints coaching Seattle and Sacramento, in addition to Pepperdine in college.
Westphal was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
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