Under clear blue sunny skies, Lenny Wilkens returned to Seattle Center, where he initially starred as a player for the Sonics in 1968 and returned as a coach who led the team to the heights of the NBA in the late 1970s.
Standing in front of a crowd of 200 or so family and friends, and several dozen fans, Wilkens expressed humility and gratitude during an hourlong statue unveiling ceremony Saturday afternoon.
“I've been blessed,” the 87-year-old Wilkens said. “I'll be the first to tell you. I have a great wife and great family. They're very supportive of everything I do, and that has allowed me to do so much. To be able to go everywhere and speak to everybody.
“Young people, I tell you, you're important. You mean something. Young people are tomorrow’s doctors, lawyers and politicians. They're our future, and when we're supportive of each other, we make our community better.
“So, I just want to say thank you. Thank you so much. You don't know what you mean to me, but thank you. I appreciate it.”
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Then, with an assist from his grandson, Wilkens pulled off a black covering to unveil a 7-foot, 700-pound bronze replica of him that will stand on the west plaza at Climate Pledge Arena.
To the surprise of a few, the life-size replica of Wilkens did not depict him while coaching the Sonics to their first and only NBA title in 1979.
Instead, Chicago-based sculptor Lou Cella captured in perpetuity a snapshot of Wilkens as a silky smooth point guard when he arguably became Seattle’s first professional sports superstar.
“This is the first time I'm seeing it completely uncovered on this base and in this environment and with people,” Cella said. “It’s people who really make art come to life. The reaction of the people is very gratifying. That gasp (from the crowd) when the cover came off, you listen for that.
“This thing has been mine for months. I've been alone in a room, hot weather, cold weather and holidays, just working on it. Sometimes somebody would help me out a little here and there, but today is like a kid going off to college. It’s not mine anymore. It belongs to Seattle now.”
A part of Wilkens, who embodies Seattle’s former NBA team and became a fixture in the community through his charitable endeavors, will never leave this plaza that’s a few feet from Lenny Wilkens Way.
Cella’s life-size replica captures the lanky left-hander sporting a curly Afro and wearing a No. 19 Sonics jersey. He’s driving with the ball in his right hand, his left arm bent and his body slightly angled.
Spencer Haywood, the affable former Sonics star, drew laughs when he joked: “Never in my life have I seen Lenny drive to his right. Other than that, it looks pretty good.”
Fun fact: The photo selected by Wilkens and his family that Cella used as inspiration depicts Wilkens when he played his final NBA season in 1974-75 with the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I think it's fantastic,” said Randy Wilkens, one of Wilkens’ three children. “The artist did an excellent job of capturing the actual look of my father. … When you do a statue, it doesn't always capture the look in a way that it's really authentic, especially the hair, which was the biggest issue for me.
“Initially, it was clean cut, almost a box look. And I'm like, ‘My dad never had that.’ His hair was kind of loose and wavy. So, they got that right.”
Cella, who produced statues of Seattle Mariners greats Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Dave Niehaus, and legendary Washington Huskies coach Don James, reviewed dozens of photos and old videos of Wilkens before starting to sculpt. The statue took nine months to complete.
“When he came to visit, (Wilkens) was smiling and said: ‘It looks almost perfect, except for one thing,’” Cella said. “He opened his jacket, and he was wearing a gold religious medal that was a gift from his wife. I saw it in all the photos, but couldn’t see what it was. So, I immediately took close-up photos of it. I measured it and … proportionately enlarged my own re-creation of that medal. Those types of details are important.”
Frozen in time, Wilkens looks as if he’s about to pass to a teammate or drive to the rim for a score.
“He's looking up the court to see where he's going next or who he's going to pass the ball to,” Randy Wilkens said. “He was always looking down court. As a point guard, you're constantly trying to see where everybody is on court.”
Wilkens played 15 years in the NBA and had a four-year stint (1968-72) with the Sonics, where he averaged 19.5 points on 43.6% shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 9.0 assists while making three trips to the All-Star Game and winning the MVP award in 1971.
As a player/coach, Wilkens had a 121-125 record with the Sonics between 1969-72. He returned as a general manager in 1977 before taking over as coach and amassing a 357-277 record in eight seasons, which included six playoff appearances and two straight trips to the NBA Finals.
Before the unveiling ceremony, Wilkens received several tributes during a private brunch that included former Sonics Jack Sikma, Dale Ellis, Detlef Schrempf, Nate McMillan, Desmond Mason and Haywood.
“I want to thank coach for setting the standard for what a SuperSonic is supposed to be,” said McMillan, who also coached in Seattle and is dubbed Mr. Sonic."
“The respect that he shows to others. The respect to his community. The respect to the organization. He set that standard for us and he set is really high.
“This is the Godfather of Seattle SuperSonics basketball.”
Former Sonics coach George Karl, Seattle basketball celebrities Isaiah Thomas, Eldridge Recasner and Spencer Hawes, former NBA star Steve Smith, actor Danny Glover, Gov. Bob Ferguson and former Gov. Jay Inslee were also in attendance.
Dr. Benjamin Danielson, the former medical director of the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic, called Wilkens a "hero for his charitable works, which has raised over $8 million for the clinic.
“We made a difference in the community, and that's something I learned very early,” Wilkens said. “I learned it from a guy named Jackie Robinson, growing up in Brooklyn, New York, and seeing what he went through and how he believed that he could make a difference.
“That's something that I learned, that if you can make a difference in people's lives, they're all the much better for it and so are you. And so I just, I want to say thank you, really. I want to say thank you. It's great. I've been blessed.”
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