Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has joined the rest of the NBA world in mourning the passing of basketball legend Lenny Wilkens.
James, who has yet to play this 2025-26 season as he recovers from sciatica, shared a post on social media on Monday to honor Wilkens and celebrate the legacy he left behind and the life he had on and off the basketball court.
Wilkens passed away on Sunday at the age of 88. His family said he was surrounded by loved ones when he died, although a cause of death was not immediately revealed, according to the Associated Press.
“RIP LEGEND!!!!!” James wrote on X, sharing a photo of himself interacting with Wilkens. “You’ll be missed! Always was an honor to see you throughout the years.”
Wilkens is widely considered to be one of the greatest NBA figures ever. He had tremendous success both as a player and as a coach, being one of only four Hall of Famers to ever be inducted as a player and coach.
The former St. Louis Hawks star was a nine-time All-Star and a one-time All-Star Game MVP. He was the league’s assist leader in 1970 and a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.
As a coach, Wilkens won an NBA championship with the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1978-79 season. He was the winningest head coach when he retired in 2005, amassing 1,332 victories for six different franchises in a span of 32 years.
To this day, Wilkens still holds the record for the most games coached in NBA history with 2,487.
While James didn’t get to play many games against teams coached by Wilkens, he knows how impactful he was to the league.