The 100 Greatest Brooklynites of All Time: 80 to 71
Mild-mannered Leonard Randolph Wilkens was born in Bed-Stuy to an African-American father and Irish mother. Starring early on as a point guard at Boys High School, Wilkens went on to be an all-American at Providence and a perennial NBA all-star. But wait, there’s more! Little Lenny ended up coaching in the NBA for over 30 years, finishing up his storied career with the hometown Knicks as the second-most winning coach in the history of the league. But he never forgot his roots: “I learned my basketball on the playgrounds of Brooklyn.” Amen.