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Hall of Fame NBA coach Rick Adelman dies at 79
By Aurax Desk | June 2, 2026 | 2 min read
Rick Adelman, the Hall of Fame coach who guided teams to more than 1,000 victories during a distinguished NBA career spanning more than two decades, has died at the age of 79. Adelman was widely regarded as one of basketball's most respected coaches and helped shape several of the league's most successful teams from the late 1980s through the early 2010s.
Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman led the Sacramento Kings to eight consecutive playoff appearances during one of the most successful periods in franchise history.
The National Basketball Coaches Association announced Adelman's death on Monday. No cause of death was immediately released. Adelman finished his NBA coaching career with 1,042 regular-season victories, ranking among the winningest coaches in league history. Over 23 seasons as a head coach, he led the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves, earning 16 playoff appearances and two trips to the NBA Finals with Portland in 1990 and 1992. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 and received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Adelman enjoyed some of his greatest success with the Sacramento Kings, where he coached from 1998 to 2006 and led the franchise to eight consecutive playoff appearances. His fast-paced, team-oriented style helped turn the Kings into one of the NBA's most entertaining and successful teams of the early 2000s. The franchise credited Adelman with helping define an era of Kings basketball that elevated the team's profile nationally and created some of the most memorable moments in Sacramento sports history.
Before becoming a coach, Adelman spent seven seasons as an NBA player after being drafted by the San Diego Rockets in 1968. He later transitioned into coaching, building a reputation for innovative offensive systems and player development. His influence extended across generations of the sport, including through his son, David Adelman, who currently coaches the Denver Nuggets. Tributes from across the basketball world described Adelman as a mentor, teacher and leader whose impact reached far beyond the court.
Sources: Information reported by ESPN, The Associated Press, The Athletic, Reuters and other published reports.