Paul Silas, who won three NBA championships and was a member of the College Basketball Hall of Famer, died Sunday at age 79, his family confirmed. No cause of death has been revealed.
“We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “Paul’s lasting contributions to the game can be seen through the many players and coaches he inspired, including his son, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. We send our deepest condolences to Paul’s family.
Silas coached the San Diego Mowers for three years, then spent a decade as an assistant coach. He returned to the top seat later with the Charlotte Hornetsthe New Orleans Hornets, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Charlotte Bobcats.
He took four of those teams to the playoffs, winning exactly 400 games — 387 in the regular season, 13 more in the playoffs.
Hornets owner Michael Jordan remembered Silas as an “incredible leader.”
“Our Hornets family mourns the passing of Paul Silas. Paul was an incredible leader and motivator who served as our head coach twice,” Jordan said in a statement. “He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to blend discipline with his endless positivity. On or off the pitch, Paul’s enthusiastic and engaging personality came with an anecdote for every occasion. He was one of the greatest people ever 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 whole Silas family.
Hall of Fame keeper and Los Angeles Lakers the great Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter: “Paul has made a huge contribution to basketball and he will be sorely missed!”
Silas was a two-time NBA All-Star and a five-time All-Defensive Team in 16 NBA seasons with the Hawks, Celtics, Supersonics, Suns and Nuggets. A three-time All-American at Creighton, Silas was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
Silas is survived by his wife, Carolyn, a son, Stephen, his daughter Paula, a daughter-in-law, Donna Turner, three grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren.
