Hall of Fame NBA coach Rick Adelman was named the recipient of the 2023 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday.
The honor, presented by the National Basketball Coaches Association, recognized one of the 10 coaches in league history to win more than 1,000 games.
Adelman, 76, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. He compiled a 1,042-749 record in 23 seasons as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Rick Adelman’s NBA coaching career has been highlighted by innovation, integrity and excellence,” Indiana Pacers coach and NBCA president Rick Carlisle said in a statement. “His teams always played to their strengths, and Rick always found subtle ways to reinvent NBA basketball to help his players thrive.”
Adelman’s teams reached the playoffs 16 times, the conference finals four times and the NBA Finals twice, where his Trail Blazers lost to the Detroit Pistons in 1990 and to the Chicago Bulls in 1992.
“To receive an award like this I have to thank all those who helped me along the way, in particular my assistant coaches and front offices,” Adelman said in a statement. “I would also like to thank the players I had through the years. Their effort and cooperation made everything I did possible. Good players make coaching much easier.”