Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman dies at 79

Rick Adelman, the Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who won 1,042 NBA games and led the Portland Trail Blazers to the Finals twice, has died at 79. The NBA coaching legend’s passing was announced by the National Basketball Coaches Association, with the cause no

Rick Adelman—an NBA coaching titan whose teams played winning basketball for decades—has died at 79.

The National Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday that Adelman, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who played seven NBA seasons before becoming one of the league’s all-time winningest coaches, passed away. The cause of his death was not immediately announced.

Adelman won 1,042 games as an NBA coach, ranking 10th in league history. Only four coaches—Pat Riley, Gregg Popovich, Jerry Sloan and George Karl—coached more games and had a better winning percentage than he did.

His influence stretched well beyond the numbers. The coaches’ association described him as “a mentor to so many in the basketball community,” honoring Adelman with its Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. who spoke when the award was presented three years ago. said Adelman’s career stood out for “innovation. integrity and excellence.” Carlisle also praised how Adelman “always played to their strengths. ” while finding “subtle ways to reinvent NBA basketball” so players could thrive. Carlisle pointed to Adelman’s quiet. unassuming nature. and how it still produced the impact of “one of the great NBA coaches of all time.”.

Adelman was not just a coach to his players—he was a builder. The Kings, in tribute, said he “will be remembered for the way he inspired those around him — with humility, integrity, kindness, and an unwavering belief in the power of teamwork.”

He is also remembered as a father of Denver Nuggets coach David Adelman.

Adelman played in the NBA from 1969 through 1975 as a point guard for five different teams before his path shifted. From there, he found his calling at the sideline, even though the route to that job was never the one he initially planned.

He thought he would coach high school, but his lack of experience stood in the way. Instead, he began at Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon, where he said in his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech that they had “great success.”

That speech also explained how an NFL-free detour turned into the NBA. Adelman said he didn’t realize that Jack Ramsey was watching his team. Ramsey was coaching the Portland Trail Blazers and invited Adelman to interview when a position opened on his staff. Adelman worked under Ramsey for three seasons and under Mike Schuler for 2 1/2 more. then took over as interim coach with 35 games left in the 1988-89 season.

“We had a team that was ready to win,” Adelman said in 2021.

Portland’s next chapter arrived after Blazers owner Paul Allen told Adelman he could coach the 1989-90 season. That season became a breakthrough: Portland won 59 games, led by Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey and Buck Williams, reached the NBA Finals, and ultimately fell to Detroit.

Adelman didn’t take long to bring the Blazers back. Two years later, he returned Portland to the NBA Finals, where they fell to Chicago.

After his Portland run, Adelman coached two years at Golden State and then moved to Sacramento. During an eight-year stint with the Kings. he produced eight winning seasons. building rosters that included Vlade Divac. Peja Stojaković. Mike Bibby. Chris Webber. Jason Williams. Bobby Jackson. and later the current Kings coach Doug Christie.

His career reach was broad in a quiet way—he had 210 players appear in at least one NBA game for him.

That mentorship was at the center of the reactions after his death, including a message from Kyle Lowry. The 20-year guard said Monday night that Adelman “actually challenged me and poured into trusting me. ” adding that it was important because Adelman “didn’t have to.” Lowry said Adelman “could have done everything else. ” but instead believed in him. and that “if it wasn’t for him. I don’t know what career I would have. It’s a sad day.”.

Adelman’s record-setting moments also remain part of his legacy. In 2008, he engineered a 22-game winning streak with Houston, a run described as the fourth-longest in NBA history. The Rockets. in a release. said Adelman “guided the Rockets with professionalism. integrity. and a deep commitment to the game. ” and that the streak remains “one of the most remarkable achievements in franchise history” for Rockets fans.

The Trail Blazers, too, remembered him as both a coach and a piece of their earliest identity. They noted that Adelman led the team to the Finals twice. and that he was a player on the inaugural Portland team in 1970. “Rick was one of the most influential figures in franchise history,” the Blazers said.

With Adelman gone at 79, the NBA community is left with an unusually rare combination: a winning record that stretches across eras, and a reputation built on steadiness—on the kind of belief that, for players like Lowry, could change what came next.

Rick Adelman Basketball Hall of Fame NBA coach Portland Trail Blazers Sacramento Kings Houston Rockets Kyle Lowry Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award 1042 wins