Former Indiana Pacers Coach Jack McKinney Pa s ses Away At 83
- Former NBA coach Jack McKinney died.
- McKinney, who won the NBA Coach of the year in 1980, did on Tuesday, 25th September.
- He started his career in coaching from Saint Joseph's University where he worked from 1966 to 1974.
- During his active years, McKinney coached for LA Lakers, Indiana Pacers, and Kansas City Kings.
- He was honored with the NBA Coach of the Year award when in 1981 for his leadership in taking Pacers to their first NBA playoffs.
Former LA Lakers coach and the NBA Coach of the Year, Jack McKinney has died on Tuesday, 25th September. He was 83.
McKinney started his career as an eventual successor to Hall of Fame coach Dr. Jack Ramsay at Saint Joseph's University. McKinney coached in the University from 1966 to 1974.
After he left Joseph's University, he joined NBA as an a s sistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers. McKinney took over as head coach of the LA Lakers in 1979. He served LA Lakers as a coach for 14 games before he was relieved of his duties following his critical brain injuries in a bicycle accident.
The following year, Lakers won the 1980 NBA championship under coach Paul Westhead.
Later McKinney became the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1980 and served the team until 1984. He was announced the NBA Coach of the Year in 1981 for his contribution in Pacer's first ever playoff appearance.
The Pacers tributed McKinney in a heartfelt message posted on Twitter. Here is the tweet.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jack McKinney's family and friends. pic.twitter.com/0yy1MbeAnB
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) September 26, 2018
McKinney joined the Kansas City Kings for the 1984-85 and coached the team for a season before announcing his retirement. He had an NBA coaching record of 136-215 at the time he retired.
