Basketball Hall of Famer Paul Westphal died of complications related to brain cancer on Saturday, as relayed by close friend and New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica. Westphal was 70.
Westphal was drafted by the Celtics with the 10th overall draft pick in 1972. He spent three seasons in Boston, but his best years came with the Suns from 1975-80.
In an interesting twist, he was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for fellow standout guard Dennis Johnson in a straight-up swap following the 1980 season. Westphal made five All-Star teams, including the one with the Sonics in 1980-81.
After a stop with the Knicks, Westphal returned to the Suns for one final season before retiring at the age of 33 in 1983-84.
He later went on to coach the franchise, helping Charles Barkley to his lone Finals appearance in 1993. The Suns battled before losing to Michael Jordan and the Bulls in six games.
Westphal also coached Pepperdine University, the Knicks and the Kings. He last worked in the NBA as an assistant with the Nets in 2016.
FortyEightMinutes sends its condolences to the Westphal family and the NBA community.
