‘Shocked’: NBA legend, former Sonics coach Lenny Wilkens on Kobe’s death, legacy

SEATTLE — NBA legend and former Seattle SuperSonics coach Lenny Wilkens sat down with KIRO 7 for an interview Sunday following the death of Kobe Bryant, who was killed along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles.

“It was devastating in how it happened, it’s just something you don’t anticipate,” said Wilkens, who told KIRO 7 he was shocked when his wife informed him of Bryant’s death. “That makes it even more hurtful is that a young person who was just 13 years old, I mean, all of a sudden is gone.”

A lot has changed in the years since Kobe’s Los Angeles Lakers last played against a Lenny Wilkens-led basketball team. But time has not made news of Kobe and his daughter’s tragic deaths any easier for Wilkens, who said the NBA family is a close-knit family.

"That’s how he was every time he stepped on that floor; he believed that he could make a difference,” said Wilkens. “The game is where it’s at today because of players like Kobe.”

The former coach recalled witnessing Kobe cement his place among NBA greats.

“He was a guy that we’d use as an example because he was always ready to play,” said Wilkens. “He came prepared and I would tell young players; you want to be a great player? Then you got to be ready to compete every night, every night you step on the floor.”

Wilkens said competing against Kobe, meant competing against the best. And that’s exactly what Wilkens wanted.

“There are great players in every era, and you can name them, but they all had that impact, is that people know who they are,” said Wilkens. “They know who Kobe is, they know who Magic is, they know who Michael is, they know Bird; I mean, you can go right down the line all the way back to Wilt and the guys that started this, so he’s one of those people.”

“I thought he had a huge positive impact on the game,” said Wilkens. “Wherever you go, everybody follows NBA basketball – it wasn’t always that way, but people like Kobe made that happen.”

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