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Street at new Seattle Center arena to be named after Sonics legend Lenny Wilkens

SPRINGFIELD, MA - SEPTEMBER 08: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens poses for a portrait at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 8, 2017 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Mayor Jenny Durkan announced that a street outside the new Seattle Center arena will be named after Sonics legend Lenny Wilkens.

She tweeted Saturday: "A much-deserved honor for a Seattle sports legend! As a player, coach, and the founder of @LWFoundation, it's hard to overstate the impact that Coach Wilkens has had on Seattle."

Wilkens, a three-time Hall of Famer and nine-time All-Star, played for the Sonics from 1968 to 1972 and coached the team to its 1979 NBA Championship.

The announcement was made at the auction dinner of the Lenny Wilkens Foundation, a foundation he started to empower youth in the area.

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