Hall of Famer Paul Westphal dies at 70
Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Paul Westphal has died at the age of 70, the Phoenix Suns confirmed Saturday.
Westphal was diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2020.
Twice an All-American at the University of Southern California, Westphal was drafted 10th overall in 1972 by the Boston Celtics and enjoyed a successful three-year spell in Beantown that included an NBA title in 1974. Westphal was then traded to Phoenix. The sharp-shooting guard helped the Suns reach their first-ever NBA Finals in 1976 when they suffered defeat to the Celtics.
In a dozen seasons with the Celtics, Suns, Seattle SuperSonics, and New York Knicks, Westphal amassed 12,809 career points, five All-Star selections, and three All-NBA first-team nods.
Westphal retired from playing in 1984. After two small-profile college coaching appointments, he was named Suns assistant in 1988 before replacing Cotton Fitzsimmons for the top job in 1992.
He led Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson, and others to the 1993 NBA Finals in his first season in charge, losing to the Chicago Bulls. Westphal also enjoyed spells in charge of the SuperSonics and Sacramento Kings and served as an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets.
Westphal was also the head coach at Pepperdine University from 2001-2006, leading the Malibu school to the NCAA Tournament on one occasion.
He was selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2019 as a player.