Paul Westphal obit

Celtics and Suns Legend Paul Westphal Dies at 70

 

He was not on the list.

Paul Westphal, a five-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA first-team selection and a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member, died Saturday at the age of 70, according to the Phoenix Suns.

In August 2020, Westphal was diagnosed with brain cancer. 

Westphal, born on Nov. 30, 1950, was a naive of Torrance, California. After growing up in Southern California, he attended the University of Southern California to play basketball.

The Boston Celtics drafted Westphal with the 10th pick overall in the 1972 NBA Draft. He spent three seasons with the Celtics that included winning a NBA title in 1974. 

Following his third season with Boston, Westphal was traded to the Phoenix Suns. He spent six seasons (1975-80) with Phoenix, leading the franchise to its first-ever NBA Finals appearance in 1976. Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals is often referred to as the greatest game ever played.

That fame consisted of a triple-overtime thriller during which Westphal’s quick thinking helped put the Suns in position to extend the game behind Garfield Heard’s famous “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” 

Westphal averaged 20.5 points per game with the Suns. In the 1977-78 season, Westphal was sixth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 25.2 ppg.

"Westy will forever be remembered as a prominent Valley sports legend both on and off the court," Suns managing partner Robert Sarver said in a statement Saturday. "He built an illustrious career as both a player and a coach. His legacy ranks among the most quintessential basketball icons of all time. 

"Throughout the past 40 years, Westy has remained a great friend of the organization and as a trusted sounding board and confidant for me. His number 44 will forever hold its place in our Ring of Honor, enshrined as one of the utmost deserving members."

After his first stint with the Suns, Westphal played for the Seattle Supersonics (1980-81) and the New York Knicks (1981-83) before finishing his career back with the Suns (1983-84).

Westphal is Phoenix's fifth all-time leading scorer (9,564), averaging 20.6 points per game. The Suns retired his No. 44 and he is a member of the Suns' Ring of Honor.

Westphal finished his NBA playing career with a total of 12,809 points, 3,591 assists and 1,580 rebounds. He averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game.

He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player on Sept. 6, 2019.

After his NBA playing career, Westphal took up coaching. He started with stints at Southwestern Baptist Bible and Grand Canyon before finding his way back to Phoenix, where he served on the coaching staff from 1988-95.

“There may be just a handful of people who have as much influence and significance on the history of the Phoenix Suns,” Jerry Colangelo said in a statement. “All he accomplished as a player and as a coach. Off the court, he was a gentleman, a family man, great moral character. He represented the Suns the way you want every player to represent your franchise.”

In addition to four seasons as head coach of the Suns, Westphal spent three seasons as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, five seasons as head coach of Pepperdine University, one season as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks, three seasons as head coach of the Sacramento Kings and finished his coaching career with two seasons as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets. He had a cameo in the film Space Jam with Michael Jordan.

Westphal is survived by his wife Cindy, and his son Michael and daughter Victoria.

 

Former teammates include: Dave Cowens, Paul Silas, Jo Jo White, Don Nelson, John Havlicek, Tom Satch Sanders, Don Chaney, Alvan Adams, Ricky Sobers, Garfield Heard, Pat Riley, Dick Van Arsdale, Tom Van Arsdale, Walter Davis, Leonard “Truck” Robinson, Kyle Macy, Jack Sikma, Vinnie Johnson, Lonnie Shelton, Wally Walker, Fred Brown (Downtown Freddie Brown), James Donaldson, Frank Brickowski, Mike Newlin, Bill Cartwright, Michael Ray Richardson, Randy Smith, Marvin Webster, Maurice Lucas, Bernard King, Trent Tucker, Ernie Grunfield, Louis Orr, James Edwards and Larry Nance.

He was coached by Tommy Heinsohn, John MacLeod, Lenny Wilkens, Red Holzman and Hubie Brown.

Some notable players he coached were: Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge, Tom Chambers, Cedric Ceballos, A. C. Green, Mark West, Danny Schayes, Wesley Person, Wayman Tisdale, Danny Manning, John “Hot Rod” Williams, Michael Finley, Dale Ellis, Rashard Lewis, Hersey Hawkins, Vin Baker, Gary Payton, Drew Barry, Detlef Schrempf, Brent Barry, Horace Grant, Chuck Person, Patrick Ewing, Vernon Maxwell, Kevin Martin and Tyreke Evans,

Career history

As player:

1972–1975           Boston Celtics

1975–1980           Phoenix Suns

1980–1981           Seattle SuperSonics

1981–1983           New York Knicks

1983–1984           Phoenix Suns

As coach:

1985–1986           Southwestern Baptist Bible

1986–1988           Grand Canyon

1988–1992           Phoenix Suns (assistant)

1992–1995           Phoenix Suns

1998–2000           Seattle SuperSonics

2001–2006           Pepperdine

2007–2008           Dallas Mavericks (assistant)

2009–2012           Sacramento Kings

2014–2016           Brooklyn Nets (assistant)

Career highlights and awards

As player:

    NBA champion (1974)

    5× NBA All-Star (1977–1981)

    3× All-NBA First Team (1977, 1979, 1980)

    All-NBA Second Team (1978)

    No. 44 retired by Phoenix Suns

    Second-team All-American – AP (1971)

    Second-team All-American – NABC (1972)

    Third-team All-American – NABC (1971)

    2× Third-team All-American – UPI (1971, 1972)

    2× First-team All-Pac-8 (1970, 1971)

    Second-team All-Pac-8 (1972)

    No. 25 retired by USC Trojans

    National high school player of the year (1968)

 

As coach:

 

    2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (1993, 1995)

    NAIA champion (1988)