Unguarded

  I said, “When you go into someone’s house, it’s only polite to take off your cap.”

  He sort of looked at me, but didn’t touch his cap.

  I said, “In my house, you will take your cap off.”

  He quickly took it off.

  Of course, Leesha was mortified. I don’t remember that kid coming over again. But most of our kids had wonderful friends. The man Leesha married is named Craig Lipp, and he works for United Parcel Service and has also started his own landscaping business. They have two children—Ashlee and Nicholle. Leesha will watch a game on TV where I’m coaching and tell her daughters, “Look, there’s Grandpa on TV.”

  I admit, I get a kick out of hearing that.

  I’ve spent so much time talking about my family because I’m proud of them. I’m proud of Marilyn, for being such a great wife and mother. I’m proud of all my children because they’re just nice people, good people, respectful people. I really like being a grandpa. At the end of every season, I spend a week just with my family. I don’t call anyone on the phone. I don’t want to go anywhere. I just want to reconnect with them. When the kids were younger, we’d take a family trip right after the season—just us, no distractions. And right before training camp, we’d take another trip.

  People want to know how I’ve survived this long in the NBA, and I point to my faith and my family. I love basketball and there is nothing I’d rather do than coach, but basketball or beating Red Auerbach’s record isn’t everything to me—and that’s healthy.

  When I was younger, I’d worry that I wouldn’t live very long. Because my father died young and I was never sure exactly why he died, in the back of my mind it made me wonder if that would happen to me. But later, when I had a better idea of the circumstances of his death, I realized I could have a long life, and I’ve had an amazing life. But I sometimes wish my father could’ve seen it. I wonder what he’d think of my family, of his daughter-in-law, of our children. I wish he had lived. I wish he had been around to go to for advice. I’d like to hear what he’d learned about life. I wish he could have had the kinds of talks with me that I’ve had with my kids. Down deep, all of us want the approval of our fathers. That means more than any award, any amount of money. I stare at that picture of my father and I see a man who wanted to raise his children the right way, a man who set out to support his family. He’s a man whom I barely remember, a man who died when I was five years old, but a man who still means a lot to me today. I’d like to think I learned all the things he’d have wanted me to know. When I stare hard at that picture, I see myself.

  About the Authors

  Lenny Wilkens has been part of the NBA scene since 1960. He has coached more games and won more games than anyone in League history. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach; only John Wooten also has that distinction. Wilkens has coached in Seattle, Portland, Cleveland, and Atlanta, and is the new coach of the Toronto Raptors. Wilkens is the father of three children and lives with his wife, Marilyn, in Seattle.

  Terry Pluto is the author of nineteen books. He has twice been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. A sports columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal, Pluto has been the Ohio Sportswriter of the Year five times, and twice he has been named the nation’s top sports columnist for medium-sized papers by the Associated Press. He and his wife, Roberta, live in Akron, Ohio.