Overview
- The 6-foot, 700-pound bronze was crafted by Lou Cella and portrays Wilkens in his playing prime.
- Wilkens led the Seattle SuperSonics to their only NBA championship in 1979 and earned induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, coach and Olympic assistant.
- Climate Pledge Arena, redeveloped from KeyArena in a $1.15 billion renovation, has hosted WNBA and NHL teams but no NBA games since reopening in 2021.
- The statue unveiling on June 28 drew Sonics alumni such as Spencer Haywood, Jack Sikma and Nate McMillan alongside state officials celebrating Wilkens’s community contributions.
- A statue of four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird is scheduled for August 17 as part of a broader effort to honor Seattle’s basketball icons.