Legendary Blazers Coach Rick Adelman Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

Former Portland Trail Blazers coach Rick Adelman was recently named the 2023 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The NBA broke the news via Twitter earlier today regarding the Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Famer:

Adelman, 76, started his career in the NBA as a player, having been picked No. 79 overall in the 1968 NBA Draft by the San Diego Rockets.

Over the course of his seven-year professional career, Adelman had his best days as a Trail Blazer, averaging 9.8 points and 4.6 assists per game from 1971-1973.

He transitioned into a career of coaching after his playing days, immediately making a splash with the Blazers, where he led the team to the NBA Finals twice in three seasons.

Behind Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and a formidable Portland team of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Adelman started an all-time level career on the sidelines on the right foot.

Though he would never reach the NBA Finals again after leaving Rip City, Adelman would go on to lead several other teams to the Playoffs.

Most notably, Adelman galvanized the Sacramento Kings at the turn of the 21st century, progressing gradually from playoff no-shows to championship contenders year-over-year.

His 2001-02 Kings team featuring Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic were on the precipice of ending the Shaq-and-Kobe Los Angeles Lakers’ quest for a three-peat before questionable officiating tarnished the ending of the series.

Adelman joins Jack Ramsay, Lenny Wilkens and Bernie Bickerstaff as the only Blazers coaches (head or assistant) to receive the prestigious award.