LeBron James

Paul Silas, a defensive stalwart who won three NBA championships and went on to coach for over a decade in the league, died Sunday. He was 79.

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Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Paul Silas had a message for LeBron James during his first season with the Cavs.

Eventually, I knew he was going to be a great player. “I couldn’t believe it,” Paul Silas said. “I would have to get him and tell him these things are going to happen to you, but you can’t think about this,” Paul Silas told the Boston Globe.

Former Cavaliers head coach Paul Silas passed away at the age of 79, his family announced on Sunday.

LEBRON James' first NBA coach, Paul Silas, has passed away at 79.Silas played in the NBA for 16 seasons and coached for over a decade.Silas was a defe.

the Rockets organization are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Silas, father of Rockets head coach Stephen Silas. To watch him play was a joy. Our heartfelt thoughts are with Stephen and his family during this difficult time." Silas was the head coach of five different teams in the course of his career. Most notably, Silas was brought on as the head coach of the Initially, he became the head coach of the then-

Former NBA player and coach Paul Silas, who spent nearly 50 years in the league and was the first head coach LeBron James ever had, has passed away.

Paul Silas found little success with the Clippers, but after spending a few years as an assistant coach, he was named head coach of the Charlotte Hornets in the middle of the 1998-99 season. But his real claim to fame was as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for LeBron James' formative NBA seasons. After retiring in 1980, he was named head coach of the San Diego Clippers.

Paul Silas made five NBA All-Defensive teams during his 16-year career in the league.

LeBron James' first-ever head coach, Paul Silas, unfortunately, passed away at the age of 79 earlier today (Dec. 11, 2022) for reasons yet unknown.

You’ve got to play the game and understand it’s up to you if we’re going to win. LeBron James is now a lock for the Hall of Fame. [Boston Globe in 2015](https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2015/06/09/paul-silas-fondly-recalls-coaching-lebron-james/904EYOtyaiS4VdEceuzVbL/story.html) and said he knew back then that he was destined for greatness. Additionally, he had the burden of lifting the then-substandard [Cleveland Cavaliers](https://www.sportskeeda.com/team/cleveland-cavaliers) franchise to playoff success, and his supporting cast was nowhere near a postseason appearance. He claimed that he gave James the confidence to play his game and told him that it was up to him to win games. He applied powder to his hands, but didn't spray it in the air like he does now. He gave him the confidence to be himself and developed his playmaking game for the limited time they had together in Ohio. He came out firing on all cylinders from the get-go, posting 12 points on 6-10 shooting, 2 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists in the first quarter alone. Commentators discussed his weak jumper, but acknowledged that it often doesn't matter because he can create shots from anywhere on the floor. It was a road game against the He gave James the keys to the offense and the green light to try anything on the court. He then had an illustrious 32-year coaching career in the league and was the

'All hell broke loose': How US journo who died at WC turned teen LeBron into a megastar.

But when you put a young kid on the cover and proclaim him ‘The Chosen One’ – maybe ‘ruin his life’ is a little strong, but it took things to such a level that I felt like his life was not going to be the same after that. James would go on to become the greatest high school player of all time before turning into an all-time NBA legend. And the look on his face when I told him this might have a chance to be a cover story, it seemed to register with him that it might be a really cool thing.” But a high school junior on the cover? “I didn’t really understand what it truly meant to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated … The cover pushed me onto the national stage, whether I was ready for it or not.”

Basketball taught Paul Silas how to be patient. As a player, he waited 10 years before winning his first championship. As a coach, he waited 15 years for a ...

Silas won two titles with the Celtics - the first coming in his 10th season as a player - and claimed a third with the SuperSonics. "I coached LeBron for two years, his first two years, and LeBron was unbelievable," Paul Silas said. He saw his father wait a long time for the job he wanted as well. Silas began his career as a head coach with a three-year stint leading the then-San Diego Clippers starting in 1980. "We send our deepest condolences to the Silas family and everyone that loved him. It took Stephen Silas two decades to get a chance to be a head coach, that coming when Houston hired him in 2020. "We mourn the passing of former NBA All-Star and head coach Paul Silas," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. "On or off the court, Paul's enthusiastic and engaging personality was accompanied by an anecdote for every occasion. Silas, whose son, Stephen Silas, is coach of the Houston Rockets, was 79. As a father, he waited 20 years before seeing his son get a chance to lead a franchise. As a coach, he waited 15 years for a second chance at running a team. As a player, he waited 10 years before winning his first championship.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called his former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Paul Silas one of the greatest people he's ever been around.

“Anytime his name would come up, I would always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building,” LeBron continued. He spent a lot of time in my hometown of Akron covering me over the course of time before that shoot came out. Cookie and I send our prayers and condolences to the entire Silas family.” “Paul made a huge contribution to the game of basketball and will be sorely missed! “Every time I would go back to Charlotte he would always come to the games. Silas was a three-time NBA champion as a player and was head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the first two years of LeBron’s career (2003-04 and 2004-05).