Lenny Wilkens and Cavs fans shared special bond that still lives on

Sometimes you forget how deep these things run until a day like this.

Lenny Wilkens and Summit County became part of each other during his time guiding the Cavaliers. He coached Cleveland from 1986 through 1993, lived in Fairlawn, went to church downtown at St. Bernard Parish, shook hands in grocery store aisles, and — in every possible sense — became part of that era in Northeast Ohio basketball.

And he never once took Cavs fans for granted.

“I just thought that they were the best fans ever because Richfield Coliseum was in the snowbelt, and with all the snow we used to get, we still would pack that place,” Wilkens told the Akron Beacon Journal in 2024. “I never got over that, the fact that the fans would come regardless of the conditions.

“We used to always talk about how we had the best fans in the NBA at that time.”

Wilkens passed Sunday at age 88.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wilkens’ influence reached far beyond wins and losses.

“Even more impressive than Lenny’s basketball accomplishments, which included two Olympic gold medals and an NBA championship, was his commitment to service — especially in his beloved community of Seattle where a statue stands in his honor,” Silver said in a league release.

“He influenced the lives of countless young people as well as generations of players and coaches who considered Lenny not only a great teammate or coach but an extraordinary mentor who led with integrity and true class.”

Cleveland fans remember the Cavs that Wilkens and Wayne Embry built — Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, John “Hot Rod” Williams, Craig Ehlo, Ron Harper — teams talented enough to make the postseason five times in seven years, but too often in the path of Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

Wilkens retired from coaching in 2005 with 1,332 victories, at one point the most ever by an NBA coach. He was a Hall-of-Famer three separate times — as a player, as a coach, and as a Dream Team Olympian — and he was still on those all-time lists when the NBA updated them again in recent years.

Seattle became his final home. And his foundation work there raised millions for Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, further cementing a legacy that was bigger than trophies and banners.

Cleveland honored him in 2022 by placing him on the franchise’s Wall of Honor. He still holds the Cavaliers’ coaching wins record.

And he always remembered the people who drove through snowbanks to fill that arena in Richfield.

“They were behind the team,” Wilkens said. “They rooted for the team. I mean, there was no question about it that they were loyal fans, and certainly we appreciated it.”