Former NBA Star, Creighton Standout Paul Silas Has Died

Paul Silas (Courtesy of Creighton Athletics)

OMAHA–(KFOR/CU Athletics Dec. 11)–NBA veteran player and coach and former Creighton men’s basketball standout Paul Silas has passed away at the age of 79.

News of Silas’ death broke Sunday morning by longtime Boston Globe reporter Bob Ryan, who was a close friend.

Silas came to Omaha in 1960, after being recruiting by then Creighton coach Red McManus. Silas played at McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, the same school where NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell played. Silas helped lead Creighton to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances in 1962 and 1964 and is the only player in NCAA history with three or more seasons of 557 rebounds. He finished with 1,661 career points and 1,751 rebounds.

Silas was Creighton’s first Academic All-American recipient and was inducted into the Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974, Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

Silas played 16 seasons in the NBA, where he was a two-time All-Star and five-time NBA All-Defensive team member, he scored 11,782 points and grabbed 12,357 rebounds while winning three titles (Boston 1974 & 1976, Seattle 1979) during a 16-year NBA career from 1964-80. He later coached 12 seasons in the NBA for the Clippers, Hornets, Bobcats and Cavalier organizations. He was LeBron James’ first NBA head coach. His son, Stephen, is the current head coach of the NBA’s Houston Rockets.