Alex Hannum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexander Murray Hannum (July 19, 1923 – January 18, 2002) was a pro basketball player and coach. He is mostly known for coaching the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia 76ers to the 1967 NBA championship, ending an eight year streak of the Boston Celtics. He had also coached a Bob Pettit-led St. Louis Hawks team to the 1958 NBA Championship over the Celtics in the NBA Finals, thus making him the first of only three head coaches in history who won the NBA Finals with two different teams (The other two are Phil Jackson and Pat Riley). The aforementioned seasons were the only two in Bill Russell's 13-year career in which he did not win an NBA championship.

In 1969 Coach Hannum led the Rick Barry-led Oakland Oaks to an ABA championship, becoming the first of two coaches to win both an NBA and ABA title. Coincidentally, the other, Bill Sharman, also coached a Chamberlain-led team—the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers—to his NBA championship. Hannum, a native of Los Angeles, California and graduate of the University of Southern California, died at the age of 78 in San Diego, California.

Hannum was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Twelve Hall-of-Famers had played for Hannum — in addition to Pettit, Chamberlain and Barry, he had also coached Cliff Hagan, Ed Macauley, Slater Martin, Dolph Schayes, Nate Thurmond, Billy Cunningham, Hal Greer, Elvin Hayes and Calvin Murphy.

[edit] External links

• Basketball Hall of Fame profile

Preceded by Slater Martin	St. Louis Hawks Head Coach 1957–1958	Succeeded by Andy Phillip
Preceded by Paul Seymour	Syracuse Nationals Head Coach 1960–1963	Succeeded by Dolph Schayes
Preceded by Bob Feerick	San Francisco Warriors Head Coach 1963–1966	Succeeded by Bill Sharman
Preceded by Dolph Schayes	Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach 1966–1968	Succeeded by Jack Ramsay
Preceded by Bruce Hale	Oakland Oaks Head Coach 1968–1969	Succeeded by Al Bianchi
Preceded by Jack McMahon	San Diego Rockets Head Coach 1969–1971	Succeeded by Tex Winter
Preceded by Stan Albeck	Denver Rockets Head Coach 1971–1974	Succeeded by Larry Brown