Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Adelman has died at 79, the National Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday. Adelman won 1,042 games as an NBA coach, the 10th-most in league history. He took the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals twice and also coached in Sacramento, Houston, Minnesota and Golden State.

Adelman received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023, with Indiana coach Rick Carlisle praising his "innovation, integrity and excellence." His teams always played to their strengths, and he found subtle ways to reinvent NBA basketball to help players thrive despite his quiet, unassuming nature.

Before coaching, Adelman played seven NBA seasons as a point guard from 1969 through 1975 for five different teams. The Sacramento Kings remembered him for inspiring others with "humility, integrity, kindness, and an unwavering belief in the power of teamwork." Adelman leaves behind a coaching legacy defined by player development and offensive innovation.