Paul Silas

Silas was LeBron James' first NBA head coach; his son, Stephen Silas, currently coaches the Rockets.

In addition to being LeBron's first head coach in the league, Silas was also Kemba Walker's first head coach during the 2011-12 season. My thoughts, and the thoughts of our entire organization, are with his wife, Carolyn; his children, Paula and Stephen; and the entire Silas family." He then spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets. He then served as an assistant to his father again from 2010-12 with Charlotte. Silas' son, Stephen Silas, is currently the head coach of the Houston Rockets. After retiring in 1980, Silas remained in the NBA world, immediately becoming a head coach for the San Diego Clippers.

Paul Silas, a former NBA coach who helped launch LeBron James' career and three-time champion as a player, died Sunday. He was 79.

In the decades after he was fired, Silas was known to send holiday messages to almost anyone he knew from his orbit at the time, including beat writers. A favorite saying of his was “happy wife, happy life,” and he disclosed to reporters prior to a game that he hadn’t touched a drink in years as a recovering alcoholic, which had not been public knowledge. Silas was a throwback, among the last of a breed who said what was on his mind, whether cameras and recorders were around or not. His tenure in Cleveland was marked by fairly public clashes with players not named “James” and he was fired in March of 2005 by new owner Dan Gilbert, who had just purchased the team, while the Cavs were in fifth in the East. Paul Silas was a consummate team player and an integral member of the 1974 and 1976 NBA World Championship teams. Silas was a member of the Celtics’ title-winning teams in 1974 and 1976, and he was part of the SuperSonics’ championship team in 1979. Boston still recovered to win championships in 1974 and 1976 with Silas playing a major role on both teams. Silas was a fierce competitor, with his tenacious rebounding and deft scoring ability around the hoop. “He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to mix discipline with his never-ending positivity,” Jordan said in a statement. Hall of Famer Tommy Heinsohn, who spent more time than anyone else around the Celtics franchise as a player, coach and commentator, once called Silas the most underappreciated player he coached. Silas was one of 15 players with 10,000 points and rebounds after he played his final NBA season in 1980. He was a two-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive selection, including first-team selections in 1975 and 1976 with the Celtics.

Paul Silas, the former head coach of both the Charlotte Hornets and Charlotte Bobcats and a star NBA player known for his rebounding, was 79.

The future Muhammad Ali showed up at a Creighton practice being held in Miami with a camera crew in tow and shot a few layups over Silas, although Silas was instructed, he said, not to block them. Once, when Silas was showing his young charges how to correctly execute a jab step, one of his NBA championship rings fell off and clattered onto the court. I live in Denver, N.C., not too far from Silas and the dream home he built on Lake Norman, and the man did love basketball. I don’t agree with you, but I understand this happens sometimes in the NBA, and I want you to know I still love you.’ ” “Paul Silas was a brilliant coach and a great competitor. “He had never been to my house at that point,” Shinn said, “and suddenly I peeked outside and there was this mountain of a man coming to the front door. When the Hornets moved to New Orleans in 2002, Shinn kept Silas as his head coach. While he was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Silas also directed the rookie season of future NBA superstar LeBron James. He also played for 16 years in the NBA and was known for his rebounding prowess and his durability. When the Bobcats told him he wouldn’t return as head coach after he directed the ignominious 7-59 season of 2011-12, Silas held a farewell news conference, then stuck around to shake every reporter’s hand afterward. After his second and final stint as Charlotte’s head coach ended following the 2011-12 season, Paul Silas and his wife, Carolyn, remained a frequent presence at Hornets’ home games. “He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to mix discipline with his never-ending positivity.

Paul Silas, Creighton's first Academic All-American and top players in Bluejay men's basketball history, has passed away at the age of 79.

Silas' 21.6 career rebounds per game are third-most in NCAA history and his 1,751 rebounds are sixth in NCAA history as well as the most ever by a three-year player. Silas is the only player in NCAA history with three or more seasons of 557 rebounds and owns the top three single-season rebound totals in Bluejay annals, including 631 as a senior in 1963-64. In an old article, Silas boasted about his education, saying "I'm more proud of my academic success at Creighton than of all my athletic accomplishments. He was the first Creighton student-athlete to be named an Academic All-American in 1963-64, was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, and received the College of Business Administration's Alumni Merit Award in 1993. That figure remains fifth-most in NCAA history and is the most by any player since 1960. "Red" McManus out of McClymonds High School in Oakland, Calif., the same high school that produced Bill Russell.

Known for his rebounding, Silas played for two Boston Celtics championship teams, as well as the 1979 champion Seattle SuperSonics, and coached LeBron James ...

I enjoyed my time as a player with Coach Paul Silas in Charlotte. I have fond memories of Coach when I was growing up in Cleveland,” [Myck tweeted](https://twitter.com/MyckMiller/status/1601980536804605952). [saying](https://twitter.com/celtics/status/1602032678542479360) he “was a fierce competitor, with his tenacious rebounding and deft scoring ability around the hoop. The perfect example of numbers don’t do the guy justice. Paul’s lasting contributions to the game are seen through the many players and coaches he inspired, including his son, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. Realize it’s from years ago and immediately think the worst. 35 jersey has been retired by the school, and he was inducted to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. Rest In Power Coach!” [Chris Miller added](https://twitter.com/cmillsnbcs/status/1601982257794793479), “My heart is heavy today just saw the news that a great man passed away. Silas was a college star at Creighton, setting an NCAA record in rebounding across three seasons and leading the nation at 20.6 rebounds per game in 1962-63. [praised Silas](https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/1601992990808936448) for “making a huge contribution to the game of basketball.” Washington Wizards broadcaster Chris Miller and his son Myck tweeted tributes about their days in Cleveland. Silas also played for the Hawks in St. Known as “Tall Paul” to legendary Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most, he averaged 11.5 points and 12.3 rebounds for those Celtics teams.

Paul Silas, a three-time NBA champion as a player and a former head coach, has died at 79.

"I coached LeBron for two years, his first two years, and LeBron was unbelievable," Silas said. He was voted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017. "We send our deepest condolences to the Silas family and everyone that loved him. He saw his father wait a long time for the job he wanted as well. It took Stephen Silas two decades to get a chance to be a head coach, that coming when Houston hired him in 2020. After spending more than a decade as an assistant, he returned to being a head coach and spent time with the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Hornets, [Cleveland Cavaliers](/nba/team/_/name/cle/cleveland-cavaliers) and Charlotte Bobcats. He was one of the all-time great people in our game, and he will be missed." "We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. Silas -- who touched the game as a player, coach and president of the National Basketball Players Association -- has died, his family announced Sunday. It was not immediately clear how long Stephen Silas would be away from the team; the Rockets were planning to have John Lucas lead the team on an interim basis. Paul made a huge contribution to the game of basketball and will be sorely missed! RIP to Hall of Famer, 3X NBA Champion, and my guy Paul Silas.

“We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas. Paul's lasting contributions to the game are seen through the many players and coaches ...

Stephen Silas is the current head coach of the Houston Rockets. My thoughts, and the thoughts of our entire organization, are with his wife, Carolyn; his children, Paula and Stephen; and the entire Silas family.” He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to mix discipline with his never-ending positivity. Paul’s lasting contributions to the game are seen through the many players and coaches he inspired, including his son, Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. Silas was drafted by the St. “We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas.

Former Phoenix Suns power forward Paul Silas has died, his family announced Sunday. He was 79.

“His illustrious career as a player and coach will be matched by few.” Silas won two titles with the Celtics — the first coming in his 10th season as a player — and claimed a third with the SuperSonics. He was a five-time All-Defensive team selection who averaged 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in 16 seasons with the St. “Paul Silas was a giant in basketball circles,” former NBA player Rex Chapman wrote Sunday on Twitter. He averaged 12.8 points and 13.8 rebounds in the 1976 Finals for Boston against the Suns. “I coached LeBron for two years, his first two years, and LeBron was unbelievable,” Paul Silas said. Paul Silas began his career as a head coach with a three-year stint leading the then-San Diego Clippers starting in 1980. He saw his father wait a long time for the job he wanted as well. “The Phoenix Suns are saddened by the passing of Paul Silas, a beloved basketball figure and former player and assistant coach with the team. It took Stephen Silas two decades to get a chance to be a head coach, that coming when Houston hired him in 2020. He made his first All-Star team with Phoenix in 1972, becoming just the fourth player in the franchise’s short history at the time to earn that honor and the first center. In addition, Silas made Second Team All-Defense for the 1970-71 season, the first Sun to ever make the team.