Boston Celtics Dave Cowens, center, dumps in a basket as Cleveland Cavaliers Nate Thurmond, left, and Celtics Paul Silas watch in first period of their NBA game at Boston Garden, May 7, 1976. Boston won the game, 111-99, to lead best-of-seven Eastern Conference final, 1-0. Others are unidentified. (AP Photo)
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Charlotte Bobcats head coach Paul Silas and his son and assistant coach Stephen Silas react in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 8, 2011. Silas, a member of three NBA championship teams, has died, his family announced Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. He was 79. The family revealed the death through the Houston Rockets, for whom Silas’ son Stephen is a second-generation head coach. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
Paul Silas, a former NBA All-Star and head coach, has passed away, the NBA announced. He was 79 years old. The New York Times reported that Silas died on Dec. 10 at his home in Denver, N.C., a Charlotte suburb. Silas’ daughter, Paula Silas-Guy, said he died of cardiac arrest. During his 16 NBA seasons, Silas won two championships with the Boston Celtics, in 1974 and 1976, and one championship with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979, according to Sports Illustrated. He is also remembered as LeBron James’ first NBA coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2003 – 2004 season. James told Spectrum SportsNet, “Probably one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever been around.”
Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC.
