1. Paul Douglas Westphal was an American basketball player and coach.
20 Facts About Paul Westphal
1. 2.
Paul Westphal played in the NBA Finals again in 1976 as a member of the Phoenix Suns.
3.
Paul Westphal coached the Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993.
4.
In 2019, Paul Westphal was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
5.
Paul Westphal attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and played college basketball for the Trojans at guard.
6.
Notably, Paul Westphal exploited a loophole within NBA rules that effectively allowed the Suns to cede a point to get the ball at half-court with two seconds remaining at the end of the second overtime; the Suns tied the game thanks to the loophole.
7.
Paul Westphal was a free agent after the season, but Seattle held the right of first refusal.
8.
Paul Westphal was unable to come to terms with the Sonics.
9.
Paul Westphal had 1,580 rebounds, for an average of 1.9 per game.
10.
Paul Westphal was a five-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA first team selection, and a one-time second team All-NBA selection.
11.
Paul Westphal is Phoenix's fifth all-time leading scorer, averaging 20.6 points in six seasons.
12.
Paul Westphal's No 44 was retired by the Suns, and he is a member of their Ring of Honor.
13.
Paul Westphal was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player on September 6,2019.
14.
Paul Westphal's coaching career started in 1985 at Southwestern Baptist Bible College, located in Phoenix.
15.
In 1988, after three years in the college ranks, Paul Westphal became an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns under head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons, and in 1992, he succeeded Fitzsimmons as head coach of the Suns.
16.
Paul Westphal returned to the college ranks in April 2001 at Pepperdine University.
17.
When Johnson was replaced by Rick Carlisle, Paul Westphal left coaching to become executive vice-president of basketball operations for the Mavericks in October 2008.
18.
On June 10,2009, Paul Westphal was named head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
19.
Paul Westphal was fired from the Kings on January 5,2012.
20.
Paul Westphal was married to Cindy Paul Westphal for over 40 years and they had two children together.