Legendary NBA champion and coach Paul Silas dies at age 79

Former NBA star, College Basketball Hall of Famer and longtime NBA coach Paul Silas died on Sunday. He was 79. News of Silas’ death was shared by the Houston Rockets on Twitter, where his son, Stephen Silas, serves as head coach. The Rockets tweeted the following: “The Fertitta Family and the Rockets organization are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Silas, father of Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. Our heartfelt thoughts are with Stephen and his family during this difficult time.” A cause of death has not been released publicly at this time.

Silas was drafted 12th overall in 1964 by the St. Louis Hawks, where he spent five seasons including their move to Atlanta. Silas was then traded to Phoenix where he spent two seasons before being dealt to the Boston Celtics, where he won two NBA titles in Boston before being traded to Seattle in 1977. Silas finished his 16-year playing career in Seattle where he won his third title against Washington in five games in 1979. Throughout his career he averaged 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds, and was a two-time All-Star and a five-time All-Defensive selection.

After his playing career Silas transitioned to coaching, going 387-488 in stints with the San Diego Clippers (1980-81 to 1982-83) and Charlotte Hornets (1998-99 to 2001-02; 2010-11 to 2011-12), New Orleans Hornets (2002-03) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-04 to 2004-05), where he coached LeBron James.

In 2017, Silas was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Following the news of Silas’ death, many members of the basketball world shared their condolences on social media. The Charlotte Hornets tweeted: “The Hornets organization mourns the loss of one of our all-time greats, Paul Silas. ” and shared a statement from owner Michael Jordan, who said in part: “On or off the court, Paul’s enthusiastic and engaging personality was accompanied by an anecdote for every occasion. He was one of the all-time great people in our game, and he will be missed. My thoughts, and the thoughts of our entire organization, are with his wife, Carolyn; his children, Paula and Stephen; and the entire Silas family.”