CHARLOTTE, NC – FEBRUARY 16: Paul Westphal speaks after receiving the Jerry Colangelo Award at the All Star Breakfast held by the National Basketball Retired Players Association at the Renaissance Charlotte Suites Hotel on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
Basketball legend Paul Westphal has died at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer.
Paul Westphal is an NBA legend both as a player and a coach. His professional career also came after a storied tenure with the USC Trojans.
Westphal played in the NBA from 1972-1984 and coached throughout the college and pro ranks from 1985-2016. He is a Hall of Famer and sadly, news broke Saturday that he had passed away at the age of 70.
Remembering Paul Westphal
The part of that tweet saying “more tough news” is in reference to NFL Hall of Famer Floyd Little losing his own battle with cancer this week.
Westphal was battling brain cancer and he was diagnosed back in August. The good news is he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019, so he got to take in that honorable night.
He made five All-Star Games, won an NBA title in 1974, and has his number retired by the Phoenix Suns. That was all as a player. He also took Phoenix to the Finals in his first year as a head coach in 1992-93.
Westphal even coached Grand Canyon to a NAIA championship in 1988. He simply found success wherever he went.
This is sad news for the NBA family as Westphal remains a star from a time when the league was rising in popularity. His career spanned both coasts and he is a foundational piece in the Suns organization.
Our thoughts go out to Westphal’s family and all his loved ones during this tough time. He was clearly a revered figure in the basketball world and he should be receiving tributes all over the league throughout the rest of the weekend and next week.