Longtime NBA coach and Hall of Famer Rick Adelman has died at the age of 79, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced on Monday. A cause of death was not made public.
The membership of the National Basketball Coaches Association joins the NBA family in mourning the passing of legendary Head Coach and Hall of Famer, Rick Adelman.
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Rick Adelman coached in the NBA for 29 years, serving as a Head Coach for 23 seasons with the Portland Trail… pic.twitter.com/ksRQzGkF9Z
— NBA Coaches Assoc. (@NBA_Coaches) June 1, 2026
Before climbing to the top of the coaching ladder, Adelman spent seven season playing in the NBA. He joined the league as a rookie for the San Diego Rockets in 1968 and went on to play for five teams.
His best season was the 1970-71 campaign for the Portland Trail Blazers, when he averaged 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Adelman retired from playing in 1975 and returned to Portland as an assistant coach in 1983. He spent 10 years with the team and eventually became head coach.
He led the Blazers to an NBA Finals appearance in 1990, losing to the Detroit Pistons. In 1992, he guided them back to the Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
He had a short coaching stint with the Golden State Warriors before landing with the Sacramento Kings in 1998. There, he led the Kings to eight straight playoff appearances and two Western Conference Finals bids.
After leaving in 2007, he spent the next seven years coaching for both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets before calling it a career in 2014.
With a 1,042-749 career coaching record, Adelman sits at No. 10 on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach in 2021.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
