Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Magic Johnson Join NBA World In Mourning Heartbreaking Loss of Hall of Famer, Paul Silas

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The NBA world came together as they mourned the loss of former NBA player Paul Silas. Silas was a three-time NBA champion and coached in the league for 12 years. Known as a fierce rebounder, many NBA legends went on to social media to share their condolences to Paul’s son Stephen and his family. Paul Silas started his career way back in the 1960s. He played for 16 seasons in the league with five different teams. A two-time All-Star, Silas won two of his NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and one with the Seattle Supersonics. Following the tragic news, many former players paid their respects on social media including Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Vernon Maxwell, Shaun Livingston, and others.

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Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and others issue statements on Silas

Silas undoubtedly had an impact on a lot of people in the league. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski released a statement from Michael Jordan on the passing of Paul Silas. A part of his message read, “On or off the court, Paul’s enthusiastic and engaging personality was accompanied by an anecdote for every occasion. He was one of the all-time great people in our game, and he will be missed.”

Magic Johnson also shared a message on behalf of himself and his wife, Cookie."RIP to Hall of Famer, 3X NBA Champion, and my guy Paul Silas. Paul made a huge contribution to the game of basketball and will be sorely missed! Cookie and I send our prayers and condolences to the entire Silas family."

After leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a win against the Detroit Pistons 124-117, a reporter asked James about his thoughts on the passing of Paul Silas. He responded, “Probably one of the greatest human beings I have ever been around“. “I would always try to look for him in the crowds“, admitted LeBron when Paul Silas would come to watch a game when he was playing.

Paul Silas as an NBA coach

The Hall of Famer started his coaching career with the San Diego Clippers. He was the assistant coach of five different teams before finally getting a chance to be the head coach with the Charlotte Hornets. Silas replaced Dave Cowens who was fired after a 4-11 record.

Silas did manage to turn the team’s fate around. The team then moved to New Orleans and Silas coached them from 1999 to 2003. Apart from his first year as a coach, Silas led the team to the playoffs each year as the head coach after the 1999 season. This also included two trips to the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

He ended up coaching the Charlotte Bobcats, now known as the Charlotte Hornets, once again in 2010. Silas coached many notable names like LeBron James and Baron Davis. Currently, his son Stephen Silas is the head coach of the Houston Rockets, hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps.