Lenny Wilkens Interview (page: 4 / 7) Basketball Hall of Fame	Print Interview

Tell us about making that leap to the NBA.

Lenny Wilkens: I had been drafted, number one, by the St. Louis Hawks but I hadn't gone out to see them. I hadn't even talked to them. You know, I really thought I was going to go on to get my master's and then I saw that game. And they were trying to wine and dine me and talk to me, and they offered me a contract for -- I think it was $8,500 with a $1,500 signing bonus. The thing that I knew was that economists at that time were getting $6,000 and I knew that accountants were getting $6,600. So I figured I was way ahead of them if I were to sign a contract, but I also knew that everybody didn't make the professional leagues, and I'd ask them for -- my terminology at the time was I asked them for a "no cut" contract and they said, "What do you mean by that? No cut?" And they didn't understand. And really what I wanted was a guaranteed contract.
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That you would play?

Lenny Wilkens: No, that I'd get paid even if they cut me. So they agreed to that. I graduated from college in 1960. I played one year and I had a good year but I was in ROTC in college and I had to go on active duty. I was in the military for a year and a half, and then I came back to the Hawks to play.

Where did you serve?

Lenny Wilkens: I served at Fort Lee, Virginia. I could have gone overseas during the Berlin crisis, but they knew that I had played one year of pro ball and they tried to get me to play for the base team. I wouldn't. I had this phobia that guys who played in the service lost something and never played as well when they came back. I had seen that happen to two guys, so I wouldn't play. They gave me troop duty, which was fine because I enjoyed it. It was a lot of responsibility but I didn't mind. Then the Hawks talked to me about coming in to play on some weekends if I could get away because they had a real bad year that second year. So I finally agreed to play for the base team if they would let me go join the Hawks on any weekends the base team didn't have to play. The military service was interesting. I played basketball for them but I also had some troop duty, which I thought was a great experience.

What sort of duty?

Lenny Wilkens: I was an executive officer to a company commander. We set training schedules, and I had to discipline young soldiers who went AWOL and stuff like that. My company commander got transferred to Germany and I had to take over the company. I was up for first lieutenant and I had a lot of seconds under me, which at that time was unusual because usually captains run companies. I learned very quickly that my first sergeants and sergeant majors really knew everything, so we became great friends, and they helped me to get superior ratings on all the inspections.

What effect do you think your training as a military leader of troops has had on your coaching?

Lenny Wilkens: I think it helped tremendously because I was used to working with people, insofar as demanding discipline and helping them to be successful. Those were skills I was able to apply in a lot of things I've done.

I suppose there's a need in both arenas, for discipline and a sense of team spirit.

Lenny Wilkens: That's right.

I think the military was good for people at the time because -- it did -- it taught discipline and it taught that we had to work together to be successful. The other thing it taught me was organization, too. It helped. Whatever organizational skills I had, they just were enhanced because of being in the military.
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When I got out I rejoined the team, but you have to understand that back in those days we weren't making the kind of salaries they make today. I always had a job during the summer. For three years I worked with high school dropouts at the Jewish Employment Vocational Services in St. Louis. I used to administer IQ tests and dexterity tests and recommend an area of training for them. We had professional people who taught them a specific field. At the end of the day I would counsel them on how to fill out an application, how to go for an interview, grooming, whatever they needed. And then the next three summers I worked in marketing and sales for Monsanto Corporation. I had a lot of experience that I think helped with my basketball.

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