Butch Van Breda Kolff, Basketball Coach, 84
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
SPOKANE, Wash. — Butch van Breda Kolff, who coached the Los Angeles Lakers to two NBA finals appearances and won 482 games as a college coach, has died after a long illness.
Van Breda Kolff, 84, died Wednesday afternoon at a nursing home in Spokane, his daughter, Kristina van Breda Kolff, said. His son, Jan, also played professionally and coached at Cornell, Vanderbilt, Pepperdine, and St. Bonaventure.
He posted a 482–272 coaching record in 28 college seasons, and was 287–316 in 10 seasons as an NBA and ABA coach. He took six teams to the NCAA tournament at a time when tournament berths were much more scarce, and won seven conference titles.
Van Breda Kolff began his coaching career at Lafayette College. He coached Hofstra, Princeton, where one of his players was Bill Bradley, and the University of New Orleans. In the professional ranks, he coached the Los Angeles Lakers, twice taking them to the finals. He also coached the Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Tams of the ABA, the New Orleans Jazz, and the New Orleans Pride of Women’s Basketball League.
