CLEVELAND, Ohio – In the days after last Saturday’s sudden death of NBA head coach and former athlete Paul Silas, LeBron James and others in the basketball world have praised SIlas’ character and his precision attention to detail.
“Probably one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever been around,” James told Spectrum SportsNet of Silas, who was his first NBA coach. “The start of my journey in this league started with him. His command, his principles, his attention to detail, but (also) his love for family.”
“Every time I would go back to Charlotte, he would always come to the games and I would always try to look for him in the crowd,” James continued. “To hear that news is very sad.”
Silas, 79, died of cardiac arrest. Many praised the impact Silas had on their lives during his 12-year playing career and 12 years as a head coach.
Silas’ son Stephen, coach of the Houston Rockets, returned to the court on Tuesday after taking time off following his dad’s death. He led the Rockets to a victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns.
It was an emotional return.
“Everything that everybody’s had to say about him has just been about him as a person,” the younger Silas told reporters after Tuesday’s victory. “I’m very proud to be my dad’s son. I’m very proud that people see him in me. And I want that to continue.”
Silas was born in Arkansas but raised in Oakland, California, when his family migrated west. He’d eventually enroll into the same high school once attended by his hero, NBA legend Bill Russell. The school would also boast a dream outfield in future Major League stars in Curt Flood, Vada Pinson and Curt Flood. Silas did attend school with Huey P. Newton, one of the founders of the Black Panther Party.
In high school, Silas averaged 30 points per basketball game as a senior and his team would win 68 consecutive games over three years. He attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds per game over his career.
The NBA called when the St. Louis Hawks drafted Silas in the second round in 1964. After a slow start, Silas would average double digits in points and rebounds (11.7 points, 13.4 rebounds) in his third season. He was traded to Phoenix in season five. He averaged a double-double in his three seasons with the Suns, including a career-high 17.5 points per game during the 1971-72 season.
A trade to the Celtics the following year established Silas’ tough-guy persona on the court and the start of a championship pedigree. He won two titles with the Celtics (’74 and ’76). Silas’ tough inside play helped free up teammates for easy scores.
Silas, who was named NBA All-Defensive first team twice and second team three times, also won an NBA title with the Seattle Supersonics in 1979.
Silas retired the following year and began his coaching year as head coach of the San Diego Clippers. After he was fired in 1983, Silas wouldn’t get another head coaching opportunity until 1999 with the Charlotte Hornets. Once he was let go in 2003, he was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers that same year to guide James, the top pick in the NBA draft.
“He was the perfect coach for LeBron because he knew how to mentor and develop young Black men,” said former Cavaliers forward Ira Newble. “That’s something a young player like LeBron needed at that time.”
James was not the only player on that Cavaliers team to benefit from Silas. Point guard Jeff McInnis, who joined the team before the start of Silas’ stint, said playing under Silas gave him a second chance because of his up and down career.
“He believed in me and helped get my basketball career back on track,” McInnis said. “From conversations I had, it didn’t seem like the owner and GM thought I could play. Coach Silas wanted me there, so I had to prove that he was right.”
The Cavaliers fired Silas in the middle of the 2005 season. He returned to coaching with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010. He retired after the 2012 season.
“The last time I saw him was in 2012,” Newble said. “I went to a game in Cleveland specifically to see him. I went to the locker room after the game. We embraced and had a great conversation. It was sad to hear about him passing.”
