NBA Hall of Famer, top head coach and former Knick Paul Westphal passed away today after battling brain cancer. He was 70-years-old.
Westphal spent the best years of his career on the Phoenix Suns where he cemented his status as one of the league’s best scorers, a five-time All-Star and a Hall of Famer. He averaged 20.6 points, 5.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds through six seasons with the Suns. He later played for the New York Knicks from 1981-83 where he averaged 10.3 points, 5.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds.
He was drafted with the 10th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1972 draft where he served as a versatile contributor off the bench for a deep Celtics team. He won a championship with the 1974 Celtics before he was traded to the Phoenix Suns where his career blossomed. In 1976, Westphal played against the Boston Celtics in the NBA finals while a member of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns lost that series 2-4.
After his playing career, Westphal’s NBA knowledge landed him multiple college coaching jobs and he eventually became an NBA head coach. He served as the head coach of teams like the Phoenix Suns, Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings. He was the head coach of the 1993 Suns team with Charles Barkley that made the NBA finals but ultimately lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Westphal is a true, multifaceted NBA great. He was one of the league’s most versatile scoring point guards whose knowledge easily translated to a successful coaching career in the league. Check out the NBA’s retrospective on Westphal’s NBA career below.
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