It was on this day in 1995 that Atlanta Hawks head coach Lenny Wilkens recorded his 939th career victory.  Wilkens broke the record that was previously held by legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach.

At the time of his retirement, Wilkens was the all-time leader in both wins and losses as a head coach in the NBA with 1,332 wins and 1,155 losses.  He has since been surpassed by Don Nelson, who currently sits at 1,335 wins.  Despite all of his regular season success, Wilkens only led one team to a championship, the 1978-79 Seattle Supersonics.  In 1998 Lenny joined John Wooden and Bill Sharman as the only men to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach.

Along with being a coach in the NBA, Wilkens also coached the United States Men’s basketball team in the Olympics.  He was an assistant coach on the 1992 U.S. Men’s Dream Team and the head coach of the 1996 team, earning a gold medal on both occasions.

Here is a tribute to Lenny Wilkens.

Notable Birthdays

James Farrior, NFL – Born January 6th 1975 (age 37) in Petersburg, Virginia

Gilbert Arenas, NBA – Born January 6th 1982 (age 30) in Tampa, Florida

A.J. Hawk, NFL – Born January 6th 1984 (age 28) in Kettering, Ohio