Paul Silas, 3-time NBA champion and LeBrons first pro coach, dies at 79

Paul Silas, a former NBA coach and three-time NBA champion as a player, has died, the Houston Rockets announced Sunday. He was 79.

“The Fertitta Family and the Rockets organization are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Silas, father of Rockets head coach Stephen Silas,” the team tweeted. “Our heartfelt thoughts are with Stephen and his family during this difficult time.”

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. pic.twitter.com/EOMSjv23t5

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 11, 2022

Silas was known for his formidable defense and rebounding during a 16-year NBA playing career that included stints with the Hawks, Suns, Celtics, Nuggets and SuperSonics. He was a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive selection, including first-team selections in 1975 and 1976 with the Celtics. Silas was a member of the Celtics’ title-winning teams in 1974 and 1976, and he was part of the SuperSonics’ championship team in 1979.

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Silas was one of 15 players with 10,000 points and rebounds after he played his final NBA season in 1980. Twelve of the other 14 players on that list are Hall of Famers, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell and Elgin Baylor.

“RIP to Hall of Famer, 3X NBA Champion, and my guy Paul Silas,” Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter. “Paul made a huge contribution to the game of basketball and will be sorely missed! Cookie and I send our prayers and condolences to the entire Silas family.”

RIP to Hall of Famer, 3X NBA Champion, and my guy Paul Silas. Paul made a huge contribution to the game of basketball and will be sorely missed! Cookie and I send our prayers and condolences to the entire Silas family 🙏🏾❤️

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 11, 2022

Silas was a second-round pick (10th overall) for the Hawks in the 1964 draft after leading the NCAA in rebounding at Creighton. He appeared in 1,254 career games, averaging 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

After his playing career ended in 1980, Silas coached the San Diego Clippers from 1980 to 1983 and served in the same head-coaching role with the Hornets, Cavaliers and Bobcats before his coaching career ended in 2012. He helped launch LeBron James’ career in Cleveland.

Michael Jordan called Silas an “incredible leader and motivator.”

“He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to mix discipline with his never-ending positivity,” Jordan said in a statement. “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.”

Paul Silas was a consummate team player and an integral member of the 1974 and 1976 NBA World Championship teams. Silas was a fierce competitor, with his tenacious rebounding and deft scoring ability around the hoop. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/wL4plzIWOW

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 11, 2022

Silas’ place in Celtics history

Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn, who spent more time than anyone else around the Celtics franchise as a player, coach and commentator, once called Silas the most underappreciated player he coached. Silas played during what might be the most underappreciated era in franchise history, a 1970s stretch that saw the Celtics restore glory to the organization shortly after Bill Russell’s retirement.

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It was not a team with Russell or Larry Bird that set the franchise record for regular season wins; with Silas in an important sixth man role, the 1972-73 Celtics went 68-14 before falling in the Eastern Conference finals partly because John Havlicek injured his shooting shoulder. Boston still recovered to win championships in 1974 and 1976 with Silas playing a major role on both teams. He averaged a double-double during each of his first four seasons with the Celtics while anchoring the team’s defense. Silas was named to an All-Defensive team three times while with Boston, including the first team in both 1975 and 1976.

Heinsohn wanted those teams to run the fast break at every opportunity. Silas shed weight to keep up with the faster game but still left a rugged impact. 1973 MVP Dave Cowens believed he and Silas were a great fit; Silas’ willingness to play inside freed Cowens to thrive on the perimeter. Both players were considered among the toughest in the NBA. That’s one reason why Cowens pointed to the acquisition of Silas as a turning point for those Celtics teams.

“Paul Silas coming in, that was huge,” Cowens once told Sports Illustrated, “because now we had a monster.” — King

Silas’ time in Cleveland

Silas was hired a few weeks before the Cavaliers made James the No. 1 pick of the 2003 draft. While James was an immediate hit in the NBA and soared to Rookie of the Year honors under Silas, the Cavs didn’t make the playoffs in either of his two seasons directing them. His tenure in Cleveland was marked by fairly public clashes with players not named “James” and he was fired in March of 2005 by new owner Dan Gilbert, who had just purchased the team, while the Cavs were in fifth in the East.

Silas was a throwback, among the last of a breed who said what was on his mind, whether cameras and recorders were around or not. He once sent backup point guard Eric Snow to the locker room for the rest of a game in Detroit after they got into an argument on the bench, and afterward shouted at reporters who demanded answers he had already refused to give.

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“Jesus, am I speaking Chinese,” Silas said, rhetorically, in an interview after that game, which was broadcast nationally on TNT.

Prior to another game, Silas used a misogynistic reference to explain if Carlos Boozer was able to play through injury. He had to be separated from former player Ira Newble after a game in an altercation that spilled into the hallway outside the locker room.

Silas could also be personable and endearing. A favorite saying of his was “happy wife, happy life,” and he disclosed to reporters prior to a game that he hadn’t touched a drink in years as a recovering alcoholic, which had not been public knowledge. In the decades after he was fired, Silas was known to send holiday messages to almost anyone he knew from his orbit at the time, including beat writers. — Vardon

(Photo: Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images)

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