Rick Adelman, the long-time NBA coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee, died Monday, June 1, at age 79. The Kings praised his leadership and the “memorable moments” he helped shape during his eight seasons in Sacramento, where he coached
Rick Adelman knew what it meant to run an offense with patience—then squeeze out advantages the defense hadn’t yet seen.
Monday, June 1, that approach to basketball ended. Adelman, a longtime former NBA coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinee, died at 79, the NBA Coaches Association announced.
His death lands far beyond the record book. For years, players and fans remembered Adelman’s ability to make complex reads feel simple on the floor—especially with the Sacramento Kings, where his coaching helped turn style into momentum.
Adelman coached for 29 seasons in the NBA, landing head coaching jobs with the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Across that span, he compiled a 1,042–749 record—.582—and reached the postseason 16 times.
His 1,791 games as a coach ranked 12th all-time, and his total number of victories ranked 10th.
In a statement Monday, the Sacramento Kings said the organization was “deeply saddened” by the passing of Adelman, calling him a “beloved coach” whose leadership, character, and vision helped define an era of Kings basketball.
The team said his eight seasons in Sacramento brought “unprecedented success” and helped create “some of the most memorable moments in franchise history.” The Kings added that for an entire generation of fans. Adelman represented “the very best of Sacramento basketball. ” and that he would be remembered for how he inspired others—with “humility. integrity. kindness. and an unwavering belief in the power of teamwork.”.
Before Sacramento became synonymous with Adelman’s offense, his teams were already writing their own chapters. He led the Portland Trail Blazers—featuring star players like Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter—to two NBA Finals appearances, in 1990 and 1992.
His personal ties to the league ran deep. Adelman was the father of current Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman. Rick Adelman also played seven seasons in the NBA for the San Diego Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Jazz and Kansas City-Omaha Kings.
As a player, he averaged 7.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game across 462 appearances.
Adelman’s coaching and basketball influence were recognized at the highest levels. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021, and he received the NBCA Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Coaches and basketball observers often traced the fingerprints of Adelman’s mind to the way his offenses were built. Known for empowering bigs to be more involved in the passing game. Adelman helped evolve NBA offenses to feature off-ball movement. He also relied on a style that allowed players to read defenses in real time and play off each other based on what opponents showed.
His “corners” offense—described as an evolution of the Princeton offense—sought big men to anchor the offense from the top of the key, where wings could cut to the basket.
Those ideas became most visible in Sacramento. There, he used big men Chris Webber and Vlade Divac to help create a free-flowing offense, while guards like Jason Williams, Peja Stojaković and Doug Christie delivered highlight plays.
During the five seasons from 1998 to 2003, the Kings never finished lower than third in points per game and were first in pace in four of those seasons.
That tempo and that basketball logic didn’t stay locked in the past. It is something his son is keeping alive today with the Nuggets and three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokić.
The NBA now mourns a coach whose life was measured not just in wins, but in the way he taught teams to play—one read at a time, one movement at a time, until the defense finally had to react.
Rick Adelman NBA coach Sacramento Kings Portland Trail Blazers Golden State Warriors Houston Rockets Minnesota Timberwolves Naismith Hall of Fame Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award David Adelman Nikola Jokic
RIP coach. Kings fans really felt it.
I swear I heard he was like, the guy who invented that patience offense thing… not sure if that’s true but my dad always talked about him. 29 seasons is insane though.
Wait so did he die yesterday or Monday like they said? Also 1,042-749 sounds like a baseball stat to me lol. But Kings saying unprecedented success… didn’t they get swept a lot under him too? idk
Kings really treated him like a legend and I get it, offense was always confusing but in a good way. The article says Hall of Fame enshrinee, so is that like College HoF? Either way, RIP. Kinda wild he coached Minnesota too, I always mix up names with other coaches.