Rick Adelman Dies at 79 After 1,042 NBA Wins
rick adelman died Monday at 79, ending a coaching career that stretched across 29 NBA seasons and 23 years on the sideline. He finished with 1,042 wins, ranked 10th all-time, and left Sacramento as the Kings’ winningest coach.
The National Basketball Coaches Association announced his death. Adelman was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, adding another milestone to a career that also included an eight-year NBA playing run before he moved into coaching.
Sacramento Kings era
Adelman coached the Kings for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006, and they reached the playoffs in every one of those years. His teams won six Pacific Division titles and built the franchise’s most successful stretch around Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojaković and Doug Christie.
The peak came in 2001-02, when Sacramento set a franchise record with 61 wins and reached the Western Conference Finals. The Kings pushed the Los Angeles Lakers to seven games before falling short, a run that still defines that era in team history.
Adelman’s 395 Kings wins
His 395-229 regular-season record with Sacramento remains the standard for the franchise. That total separated him from every other coach in Kings history and tied his name to the club’s best sustained stretch, not just a single season.
The current Kings head coach, Doug Christie, was one of Adelman’s players in Sacramento. The team said Adelman inspired others with “humility, integrity, kindness and an unwavering belief in the power of teamwork,” and added, “His leadership helped establish a culture that continues to resonate throughout our organization today.”
NBA coaching legacy
Adelman spent 29 seasons coaching in the league and led five teams: the Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2023, he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, another marker of how long his work shaped the league.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Kay, six children and 12 grandchildren. For Sacramento, the loss is larger than a former coach; it removes the man who set the franchise’s wins record and guided its most accomplished run.
