ATLANTA, March 1 -- Lenny Wilkens, who has eclipsed almost every National Basketball Association coaching record and will direct Dream Team III at this summer's Olympics, sought his 1,000th career victory Friday night when the Atlanta Hawks hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wilkens, who has coached 23 seasons, has a career record of 999-838 (.544) and led the 1979 Seattle Supersonics to the NBA championship.
In his third season with the Hawks, Wilkens' overall record with Atlanta is 130-89 (.594). Last season, Wilkens passed legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach for most coaching victories with his 939th win. Wilkens also holds the distinction of having participated in more games as a player and/or coach than anyone else in league history. Wilkens has led his teams to the playoffs in 13 of his last 17 seasons, has coached four All-Star teams, and was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.